


Crossroads

by TheRealJLRules



Series: Amy/Clara/Missy [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amy never left, Established Relationship, F/F, Heavy Angst, Love Triangles, Non-Canon Relationship, Past Relationship(s), Plot Twists, Sorry but I don't want to give anymore tags because of potential spoilers!, Strained Relationships, Timey-Wimey, obscure aliens, sequel to a previous fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-02-28 21:51:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 32,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13280568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealJLRules/pseuds/TheRealJLRules
Summary: Amy and Clara are engaged to be married, but will a series of events break them apart forever... ?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.
> 
> 2\. This is a femslash story. If you don't like that sort of thing, you won't like this.
> 
> 3\. IMPORTANT (A): As with my previous DW story ("Venusian Valentine's", which this follows), there's a very big canon conceit here, aside from the obvious romantic coupling. Namely, Amy never left. She was around for Clara's arrival, all through the Eleventh Doctor's tenure, and his regeneration into the Twelfth. Got that? Cool.
> 
> 4\. IMPORTANT (B): Also, some events in the series didn't happen, while some did but in a different way or for different reasons. Hopefully, things will be somewhat clear as the story goes.

Clara Oswald tentatively entered the bedroom, hoping for the best. But she could feel the anger eminating from the room immediately. The person lying on the bed was still seething. And it was all Clara's fault. "Amy... "

"I'm interesting enough to talk to now, am I?" Everyone of Amy Pond's words were said with venom. Clara actively tried not to flinch at her fiancee's tone. "I wouldn't want to bore you."

Clara closed her eyes even as she felt her own temper flaring up again. If it was one thing she did  _not_  want to do again, it was fight. They spent all evening doing just that, and both were sick and tired of it. But Clara knew she could not leave Amy to stew in their bedroom, especially overnight. They had to sort this now. "Amy... " she repeated.

" _What_?" snapped the Scot. "What more can we possibly say to eachother? You've made your feelings perfectly clear." It was also  _perfectly clear_  Amy could not even stand to  _look_  at her fiancee, her body and head still laying horizontal over the sheets. Evenso, Clara could see the red under Amy's eyes.

That made her heart clench. Needless to say, she hated the very idea of her perfect lover in pain or distress... let alone when  _she_  was the cause. Amy's dried tears were solid proof Clara fucked up  _big time_. "Honey, please, let me explain... "

"You don't need to explain anything, Ms. Oswald," Amy spat. "I understand. I understand that I'm simply not exciting enough for you... "

Before she could bite her tongue, Clara snapped herself. "Stop being stupid! You know that's not what I meant!"

At that, Amy finally sat up and faced her. Clara nearly gasped at the agony on her betrothed's face. "What the fuck am I supposed to think then, Clara?!  _Huh_? What am I supposed to take from 'I'm bored and want more'? Those  _were_  your exact words, right? Or is my hearing going?"

"I didn't mean  _you_!" yelled Clara. "Amy, I  _love_  you! I'm  _marrying_  you, aren't I?! Why would I bloody  _propose_  if I don't think you're 'exciting'?! I just meant... " She paused. How else could she explain it other than how she did earlier... when this whole fight started?

It was her own fault, really. Clara should have just kept her mouth shut or assured everything was fine. But no: her gob had to let out what she was  _really_  feeling. When Amy noticed the teacher was paying no attention to the report cards she was meant to be grading, and innocently asked if anything was the matter. And Clara absently complained life was boring without the Doctor. Then she  _stupidly_  said domesticity had no appeal to her anymore. But Amy took that the wrong way - had she? - and asked if Clara was happy. And when Clara paused...

It escalated from there. It was a good thing they lived in a detached bungalow, or their neighbours would have heard every word. Heck, maybe they did anyway. Clara and Amy's voices were surely loud enough.

It was the fundamental difference between them. Amy loved and treasured her time and experiences with the Doctor, but at the end of the day, wanted a normal life. After years of having her sanity questioned, the Scot just wanted normalcy. Sure, she spent numerous escapades with the Doctor, before  _and_  after Clara joined them, but as time went on, the thrill lost its edge. Falling in love with the Impossible Girl, Amy now wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with Clara. A normal, ordinary life.

But Clara was different. She found being with the Doctor and sharing in his exploits addictive. Not in a puerile way: she was deeply,  _deeply_  in love with Amy. She too could not contemplate a life where they were not together. Clara knew she could not live without her... but... she also could not live without the Doctor. He, the TARDIS and their lives travelling through time and space were like a drug.

Could Amy not see that? After being with the Time Lord so long, and going through so much... could the Scot not see how a simple life would just be dull? Indeed, was  _this_  all Clara had to look forward to? A few decades living in 21st century Earth, teaching little brats, filling out report cards and then just... dying? Clara visited Venus in the 2,000,001st century, for crying out loud - how could 2015 London compare to  _that_?

Had she took a moment to think more, Clara would have realised she was in the wrong. However, what came out of Amy's mouth next had the teacher seeing red and all empathy suddenly evaporated. "Did you mean the 'more' you want is actually  _the Doctor_?"

Clara's eyes bulged. "I beg your pardon?!"

Amy violently got up off the bed. "You heard me. Is he more 'exciting' for you, huh? Is that what you're trying to say?"

Clara was at a loss for words.

"Or do you want to keep travelling with him in the hope you bump into a certain Time  _Lady_  again?"

At that, Clara's jaw dropped. "What... what the  _fuck_ , Amy?!"

The Scot's face was full of rage. "Don't think I've forgotten about the 3W."

"Oh my God, you're still going on about that?" Clara thought Amy reconciled that event ages ago.

"It's not everyday you see your fiancee kiss someone else."

" _She_  kissed  _me_!" screamed Clara. "And then she kissed the Doctor! Fucking hell, Amy! I can't  _believe_  you'd throw that back in my face!"

"Is that the kind of 'excitement' you want, Clara?" Tears were now trickling down Amy's cheeks. "Is that why I'm just so dull and boring to be around? You'd rather be galivanting around time and space, facing death over and over... instead of being safe, here, with me? Why isn't that enough, Clara? Why aren't  _I_  enough?!"

"This is insane," sneered Clara, her own eyes watering. "Fucking insane. I cannot believe, after everything we've been through, that you'd be so petty and jealous. Is that why Rory left?"

Amy's eyes nearly shot out. "Don't you dare bring him into this."

"Why not, huh?" The teacher folded her arms haughtily. "It's only fair, seeing as you just hit me with the Missy card."

"That's all this is to you, isn't it?" Amy was shaking her head in disbelief. "A game. Fun and frolics."

"You forget that it's because of that 'fun and frolics' that we even bloody  _met_  in the first place!"

Amy dramatically shrugged. " _And_? How the hell is that relevant? Are... are you saying because we met through being with the Doctor, we should just always be with him, for the rest of our lives? What kind of fucking logic is that,  _Ms. Oswald_?"

"What do you want from me, Amy?" sighed Clara, the fight started to fade out of her. She was tired. She just wanted her fiancee to understand...

"All I want  _is_  you, Clara." Amy looked crushed. "How can you even ask me that, after everything we've been through?"

"Exactly," countered the teacher. "Everything we've done with the Doctor - doesn't that mean anything to you? How can you just turn your back on him?"

Amy chuckled in frustration. "It's not a point of turning our backs on him, for fuck's sake. What a ridiculous thing to say."

"Oh, so I'm being ridiculous for knowing what I want now, am I?"

Amy's jaw clenched, and the next words came out bitter. "No, I guess  _I'm_  being ridiculous for knowing what I want, which is you." She wiped tears away futily. "As you obviously don't feel the same way."

Clara's heart sank. "How can you say that? Amy, I love you more than I could ever say."

"Then why are you choosing him over me?!" shrieked the Scot.

Clara put her head to her temples in an attempt to sooth the oncoming migraine. "Why are you making it about  _him_? It's about you and me, together,  _with_  him. Having fun!"

Amy started flailing her hands and shaking her head. "I've had enough of this. You need to decide what you want, Clara. This is fucking madness. You need to decide what's more important to you, seriously. This is getting insane."

All hope of solving this crisis was long gone from Clara's mind. She was now, once again, too blinded by rage. "Or maybe you just need to stop acting like a jealous little bitch and get over yourself."

Amy nearly snarled at that, and Clara noticed her hands actually ball into fists. However, Amy quickly caught herself and instead turned her attention to the bed, violently turning the duvet over. "It's late, and I'm tired. Don't even think about getting in here with me."

Not realising the irony, Clara's response was completely petty. "I wouldn't stay with you tonight if you paid me." She then turned on her heels and stormed out towards the spare bedroom.

Neither got any sleep that night...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

By noon the next day, things were still bad.

Amy and Clara had barely seen eachother, let alone talked. Breakfast was spent separately, as was their usual non-work daytime activities. Clara retreated back to the spare room to finish her school grading, while Amy sat outside in the garden trying to read a book. Obviously, it was a fruitless endeavour.

Amy stared blankly at the words on the page, as she endlessly replayed yesterday's events in her mind. How could this have happened? How could things get so bad, so quickly? Sure, she and Clara had fights - every couple did - but this was different. This was deeper. It was about what they fundamentally wanted in life.

And all Amy Pond wanted was Clara Oswald. How could she not? The teacher was the most perfect and beautiful woman to ever live, or  _would_  live. Amy knew there could not be anyone else as wonderful as the Impossible Girl in all time and space. Sure, she had loved Rory, but what she felt for Clara was beyond words. The two belonged together.

Or so Amy thought. But if Clara's wants and needs, if her plans for their married life were so different from the Scot's... were they really destined to be together? The idea was instantly repulsive to Amy: after everything they went through, all the trouble and turmoil, they deserved happiness. And Amy was never happier than since she fell for the teacher.

What was Clara playing at, though? Amy treasured her time with the Doctor as much as Clara, and would be an idiot to not acknowledge the only reason they met was through the Time Lord. But to spend the rest of their lives travelling with him? Did Clara  _really_  want that? Was Amy truly not enough for her?

The things they said to eachother... God, Amy could not believe it. She never thought they could say such hurtful things. And it only continued come morning. Clara was up first - as always - but Amy noticed no cup of tea made for her when  _she_  woke. Clara made sure she was gone, breakfast done by the time Amy emerged from the bedroom. And when the teacher returned to the kitchen, it was just to put away her cup and plate. No words were said as they passed eachother, but the silence spoke volumes. Each could still see the hurt and anger in the other's eyes.

It seemed a stalemate was reached, and both needed a cooling down period before trying to rectify things again. But instead, as is often the case, the silent treatment following such a fight only bred more resentment. Clara made some snide comment about Amy's jobsearching; Amy sniped back with something concerning Clara's cooking. Though both women knew they did not mean such insults, it was clear they still felt the need to lash out at the other.

But it was Clara's fault! How could she not see the fact Amy just wanted a nice, simple life with the woman she loved? Why could Clara not let the Doctor go? What did Amy have to do?!

The Doctor never divulged specific knowledge of the future, and any questions the two young women had - how big would their wedding be, how long would they live for, would they have children - went unanswered. That was for the best, Amy knew, but what if the Doctor did not say anything, because he knew they would  _not_  end up happily ever after?

A chill went down Amy's spine. The sheer thought of not being with Clara terrified her.

Enough. With determination Amy slammed her book shut and got to her feet, heading back into the bungalow. This had gone on long enough. One way or another, they were going to sort this,  _now_. Amy would make Clara see sense, even if it took the rest of the weekend.

After Amy closed the door leading to the garden and was about to storm into the spare room, however, the home was filled with an ever-familiar sound. The Scot groaned again: no, please - not  _now_.

Also hearing the tell-tale grinding, Clara stepped out of her hiding place just in time to see the blue police box materialise in their living room once more. The two women shared a look, a look full of confusion and worry. It was like  _he_  sensed their turmoil through the fourth dimension, and was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

Both Amy and Clara knew this was the worst time for him to visit. For Amy, it tested her faith in Clara. In Clara, it tested her loyalties...

The doors opened and the grey-haired Doctor poked his head out. "Thank heavens you're here. You... "

"Now is  _really_  not the time," interrupted Amy. "Whatever you want will have to wait." She chanced a glance at Clara: if the Impossible Girl made one step towards the box, so help her...

He blinked: Amy never used that tone with him. There was no hint of mirth in her voice at all. "Girls, you don't understand... "

"I  _mean_  it, Doctor," the Scot clarified. "This is a really,  _really_  bad time... "

"Amy, please just listen. You both have to come back with me." He appeared harried in a way neither woman saw before.

Clara spoke up. "What's wrong?"

" _DON'T_ ," Amy snapped at her. " _DON'T ask_. Not  _now_ , for  _fuck's sake_.  _Seriously_." She turned her attention back to their eccentric visitor. "Y'know, for a Time Lord, you always have a really  _lousy_  sense of timing. You honestly could not have picked a  _worst_... "

" _Pond_!" he shrieked, and she snapped her mouth shut at that. Unlike his previous incarnation, this Doctor - the twelfth, apparently - only ever used her surname sparingly, so when he did so...

"What then?" gasped Amy. "C'mon, out with it? What's so  _important_  that you just  _had_  to butt into our lives again?!"

The Doctor looked her right in the eye. "It's Rory."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

Clara Oswald was a teacher, and very good at working things out in a logical and straightforward way. But right now, she did not know  _what_  to think.

She heard the telltale sound of materialisation from the closed spare room - the TARDIS was never quiet, after all - and emerged knowing Amy would be investigating too. Clara was well aware her plans for avoiding her fiancee for as long as possible where out the window.

And indeed, Clara did not know where her mind was right now. While she was always overjoyed to see the Doctor, she agreed with Amy this was the  _worst_  time for him to pay them a visit. Amy did not exactly know what her plans for the rest of the day were, or how she and Amy would resolve their current crisis, but the Time Lord was the  _last_  thing they needed.

Because it was a temptation. Upon seeing the police box, part of Clara just wanted to jump in and be gone. To hell with Amy - they both needed time apart at the moment, and there was not much further apart they could be than in another time. Once they both cooled down the Doctor would bring Clara back and the two women could finally sort things out.

Of course, Clara knew that was absurd: leaving with the Doctor, purely out of spite, would be a disaster: Amy would probably never forgive her. And deep down, Clara would never forgive herself.

But when the Doctor uttered Rory's name? That changed everything. Suddenly Amy was interested. Clara could not deny a pang of jealousy; Rory Williams was, after all, Amy's longterm fiance, only leaving her and the TARDIS shortly before Clara joined them. From what the Impossible Girl understood, it was quite similar to her and Amy's problem now, only with Amy in Clara's role. Ironic.

The allure of being with the Doctor proved too strong for Amy Pond then. Would it be again, but this time  _Amy_  losing  _Clara_  to the Time Lord?

Clara inwardly shuddered. God... when put like that...

Clara silently listened as the Doctor explained the situation. How he received an anonymous messege telling him Rory was imprisoned. The messege - a literal note left on the TARDIS control console - revealed the time and place he was being held. Frankly, Clara wondered why the Time Lord did not go straight to Rory: why come  _here_  first? But that was the Doctor all over: any chance for companionship. And given Amy's history with Rory, he probably gathered the Scot would want to be involved.

Needless to say, Clara wanted to be so, too. But why? So she could be with Amy, make sure she was safe? Or so she could be on another adventure?

For that indecision, part of Clara wanted her and Amy to stay and not get involved. But a bigger part of her could not resist. She could not help the flutter in her belly as Amy readily agreed to help. Clara knew she would. Though the two women loved eachother deeply - current happenings notwithstanding - Amy was still very concerned for Rory.

"OK, OK, let's go," came the Doctor's voice, bringing Clara out of her musings. As he disappeared back into the TARDIS, the two women shared a glance: Clara could see the turmoil on her fiancee's face. She was deathly worried for Rory's safety, but at the same time, Clara knew, Amy was worried this would be another "fix" of the Impossible Girl's drug that was travelling through time and space.

Another shudder. When put like  _that_... !

Before Clara could think further, Amy was in the police box. The teacher swiftly followed... only for the doors to abruptly slam shut in her face. Barely avoiding bonking her nose on the thing, Clara frowned. "Hey! What the hell!"

Great. She knew the TARDIS had an "attitude" when it came to her, but  _now_?  _Seriously_?

One of the doors opened and the Doctor again poked his head out. "Clara, what's keeping you? Come on!"

"Your bloody time machine shut me out!" cried Clara.

"Nonsense," the Time Lord tutted. "C'mon now, we have to get going."

"What's going on?" asked Amy, sticking her head out alongside the Doctor's. Her face was now one of utter impatience.

"Clara's playing up again," said the Doctor.

" _I'm_  playing... ?" Clara gulped, then sighed. "Whatever. Let's just go." But when she took another step forward, the blue door again violently swung closed, shocking the two occupants as it did so. The sight of their wide-eyed faces as they disappeared behind the glass windows was actually quite comical.

But only momentarily. After several minutes, it was very clear something was wrong with the time machine. Whatever happened, whatever order they entered, the "old girl" would resolutely not let Clara in. It did not matter who was already inside: the Doctor, Amy, both or neither. It did not matter if the Doctor used all his strength to keep the door or doors open wide: they would force themselves closed when Clara got too close.  _Whatever_  they did, the TARDIS made it clear she was  _not_  letting Clara in. "This is bullshit!" the teacher shrieked after ten minutes trying to enter the old hag.

Amy's response was equally loud. "We don't have time for this!" After cursing like only a Scot could, she waved Clara away. "C'mon, Doctor, let's just go."

Clara's jaw dropped. "You're going to go without me?"

Amy closed her eyes in obvious frustration. "We have to. We don't have time for this bollocks. I'm sorry, Clara, but I... I have to get Rory."

Clara blinked several times, looking at the two of them. Amy had her head in her hands in clear exasperation, while the Doctor looked completely baffled. Wordlessly, Clara grabbed Amy's arm and pulled her away from both the Time Lord and time machine. When she spoke she tried to quiet her voice, but not really. "You're actually going to go without me?"

"What else can I do?" whispered Amy.

The Impossible Girl felt her eyes water. "After... after yesterday... after today... after everything you've said... you're actually... "

Amy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Clara. I have to help Rory."

Clara glared at her for several moments, before the Doctor's stern voice cut in. "Girls... "

For what seemed an eternity, the two women stared into eachother's eyes. Eventually, Clara's jaw clenched, and she dropped Amy's arm like a rock. "Go, then."

Amy bit her lip. "Sweetheart... "

"Just.  _Go_." Both words were laced with poison, Clara unable to keep the feeling of betrayal inside. As if sensing her fiancee's pain, Amy looked down sheepishly, then slowly turned away and trudged back to the TARDIS. She kept her back to Clara as she disappeared within, Clara's vision instead filled with the Doctor's confused face.

"We'll be back, I promise," he said.

Clara remained silent as the doors closed a final time, and the TARDIS disappeared...


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

How  _could_  she?

Clara paced around the living room, absolutely incensed. How could Amy  _do_  this to her? After everything she said, everything they fought over... ?

Clara's emotions and mind were running a mile a minute, going over several things simultaneously. Confusion. Anger. Jealousy.  _Betrayal_.

Seriously, after all Amy said and accused of the teacher... the moment the Doctor returns and offers another jolly, Amy just ups and goes.

 _How COULD she_?

Had she been thinking clearly, Clara would know she was being ridiculous. She knew the situation, and Amy's reasons for leaving, abundantly. But right now, that did not matter: all that mattered was the Scot did  _exactly_  what she brought Clara upto task over wanting. The  _nerve_!

A tiny part of the Impossible Girl felt guilty, but it was far overshadowed by the hurt and bewilderment. She just... just...  _left_ , went running after her ex at the first sign of trouble! And she did not even care Clara could not go with them.

And what  _was_  that about?! Not only Amy, but the TARDIS, too! What the hell was the blue broken box doing, refusing her entry? Clara knew the time machine had a slight attitude towards her, but  _really_? Actually  _closing the doors in her face_? What did Clara do? It was not like she tried removing the bloody thing's personality matrix... if it even had one. If the "old girl" did, it certainly needed replacing.

Clara felt her eyes water. It was actually like everything was conspiring against her. First Amy reads her the riot act over wanting to stay with the Doctor. Then, when the Doctor appears, Amy agrees to go with him. And when the fucking ship will not let her fiancee in, Amy goes anyway! And where? To find her  _ex_ -fiance! What was  _going on_?

Again, deep down Clara knew she was being unforgivably selfish, and she should be concerned for Rory's safety. But that was part of the problem: Amy did not hesitate going to her former lover's aid. And when it was discovered her current lover was unable to join her... she still went.

It did not matter the TARDIS was capable of returning the instant it left... well, actually, it never was. Clara was not the least bit surprised she had yet to hear the grinding noise signalling the travellers' return. The damn box or its owner could never keep an exact schedule. And while that would usually be thrilling to the Impossible Girl - the unknown, the mystery of where or when they would end up - right now, it was the last thing she wanted. All Clara Oswald wanted right now was Amy back, if only so the Scot could know howmuch her leaving hurt Clara.

But... would Amy care? Or was there a deeper reason for her rushing to Rory's side? A chill went down Clara's spine at the implication. Please, let  _that_  not be the case.

Deciding this was getting her nowhere, and she was in desperate need of a distraction, Clara wiped her eyes before tears could fall and strode into the kitchen. She attempted something mundane, just a simple cuppa... but a niggling thought would now not leave her mind.

Was...  _was_  it the case? Going by their fight, it was quite clear Amy and Clara wanted different things, at least at this point in their lives. Clara knew they loved eachother, and wanted to spend the rest of their days together, but... what if they did not want it  _enough_? It was obvious Amy now yearned for a peaceful life. And that was the reason Rory left in the first place...

Oh, God. What if... ?

Now the tears began trickling down. The thought was utterly devastating to Clara, but it would just not go away. Amy was going to go back to Rory. They were going to finally marry, have kids and live happily ever after. And Clara would lose the love of her life, the most perfect person she ever met. She just knew it.

The feeling of despair was like a knife to Clara's heart. All she wanted now was Amy here. Regardless of what the teacher might want in the future, whether or not she went travelling with the Doctor again,  _right now_  all she wanted was Amy, safe with her, home. No Doctor, no police box, no Rory. Clara just wanted to shut Amy and herself off from the rest of the universe until their personal crisis was  _sorted_.

But she knew that was not going to happen. Not right now. She just had to wait for the TARDIS to return. And no one - not even the Doctor - could predict when that would be. Minutes, hours... days?

Fucking police box.

Somehow Clara finished making her tea. She once more ran a hand over her eyes, dispelling the tears. She stopped crying, though she knew here eyes were still red. With a mixture of a sigh and gulp, Clara steadied her breathing as she stared at the finished drink.

"Ooh, I'll have one."

At the sound of the voice, Clara's eyes nearly popped out. Her body went numb, and her jaw clenched. Then, slowly, she turned around to see a seemingly-middle-aged woman in purple, Victorian-era dress grinning madly at her.

"Hello there, poppet," came the visitor's sickly sweet tone. "Miss me?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

"So... I bet you're wondering what that was all about."

The Doctor did not look up from Amy's question. "I am. I don't know what the old girl was playing at. I tell you, when this is all over, she and I are going to have a nice long chat."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Actually, I was referring to me and Clara... "

"Oh, that." The Time Lord just shrugged. "I assumed it was one of those Human things. You know - you 'couply' lot find any old reason to fight and bicker. I'm sure the two of you will sort it out." He then frowned. "Well, as long as neither of you have a warp star - then that might be a problem."

Amy gave a tired sigh. "Doctor, be serious for one moment... "

"I am being serious," he clipped. "Warp stars are no laughing matter."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, just wanting the TARDIS to fucking hurry up and materialise. They were still in mid-journey to the time and place Rory was being held specified in the messege left on the control console. Amy and the Doctor already discussed the immediate situation. The Gallifreyan had no idea  _how_  an outside note was left in the time machine in the first place - though it apparently was not the first time.

Still, that was irrelevent as far as Amy was concerned: all that mattered was making sure Rory was safe. She did not even care about the who, why and how right now. She would leave that for the Doctor to figure out afterwards. But all they could do now was wait. "Doctor, please... "

"Don't worry, Amy," he responded, still looking away. "After what she pulled with Clara with her doors, the TARDIS will be on her best behav... "

He was stopped when Amy let out a sob. His frown softened into genuine concern as he finally turned his head to her. "Amy... ?"

Amy could not hold it in anymore: she buried her head in her hands as tears poured out. She barely registered his arms taking her shoulders gently yet firmly. "Hey, whatever's the matter?"

She struggled words out. "I... I think... think she's... gonna leave me... "

" _Nonsense_ ," soothed the Doctor. "She loves you, Amy. Trust me, she does."

"Then why aren't I enough?" came the pathetic whine.

She then felt his hands tenderly remove hers from her face, then a feather-like finger under her chin. When they were eye-to-eye, he spoke again. "What's happened, Amy?"

She found strength in his face, and took an audible gulp. "She... she says she's... she's bored. She wants more... "

He seemed befuddled a moment. "Then put that police officer's uniform on again," he eventually suggested.

That went down a storm as Amy burst into more tears. " _DOCTOR_!"

He flinched like a naughty boy. "OK, OK, I'm sorry. I'm, er, just kind of new at this. Comforting lovelorns and everything."

"You're 900 years old," she spluttered. "How can you... be new at anything?"

"Cheers for that." He gave a deep sigh. "Amy, please tell me what's going on."

Amy was silent - albiet sniffily - before giving an answer. "It's... it's just... it doesn't matter."

He clenched his jaw. "Look... I know I'm not your...  _favourite_  version of me. But you can tell me anything, Amy - always. You know that, right?"

Why did she even mention her and Clara's woes? How could she tell him the reason? How could she explain  _he_  was the problem? That Clara wanted to continue travelling with him, while Amy just wanted a quiet, peaceful life with the woman she cherished? That he was indirectly threatening everything she wanted? "It... it's complicated," she eventually offered.

Obviously unsatisfied with that, the Doctor humphed. "Amy, do you love her?"

" _Yes_!" she immediately shrieked. "With all my heart! I need her more... more than I need  _air_!"

He rolled his eyes. "Human expressions will always baffle me." He then looked directly at her again. "OK, that's half the battle. And I know for a fact she loves you. You wouldn't believe howmuch I've had to listen to her sing your praises. So that's the other half. Battle done."

She tried wiping her face dry. "Oh, Doctor... if only."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

"Now is  _really_  not the best time."

Missy just smirked. "That's what I love about you, puppy. You always play hard to get."

Clara rubbed her temples. "I'm not playing at anything. I would ask what you're doing here, but frankly, I just don't care. Please just go."

"But aren't you interested in how I got here?" Missy asked.

Clara blinked. "Why the hell would I be interested in that? Besides, I know you use that personal transporter thing." She then glanced past the Time Lady, at the rather odd object in the living room she only now realised was there. "Or are you going to tell me you rode in on that pillar?"

Missy groaned and sunk her shoulders. "Oh, it hasn't, has it?" She turned her head to see the Doric pillar standing incongruously like a sore thumb. She strode over to it, muttering under her breath. "Blasted thing." After a frustrated kick, the pillar changed in the blink of an eye to a grandfather clock. She humphed. "Well,  _better_."

Clara just stared at what was going on. Missy seemed to feel her eyes and shrugged. "I finally got my TARDIS back, though I'm rather ashamed to admit it's chameleon circuit is playing up a little. Seems to be a design flaw - either that or the people I... " - she paused - "... temporarily misplaced it with broke it. Still, no matter: they're dead now. Or will be. I forget which." The Time Lady sauntered closer to her. "Anyway, I thought you'd be impressed, sweetie."

"Stop that!"

Missy frowned. "Stop what, deary?"

" _That_!" yelped Clara. "Pet names! Stop with the pet names! They drive me nuts."

"That's their intent," came the reply. Missy bit her lip and Clara tried not to notice. "And I reckon they do a pretty good job."

The teacher ran her hands down her face in exasperation. "I don't need this right now. I really really don't need this right now."

"Aww, is something wrong?" Missy feigned concern. "Has someone upset you, Clara? Tell me and I'll go kill them." When that resulted in a wide-eyed Clara glaring at her, Missy tilted her head. "Ooh, someone  _has_  upset you."

"Yes," came the curt reply. " _You_."

Missy chuckled. "Touche, my darling. But no... I'd say, judging by your immediate reaction, that it must be our mutual friend."

"The Doctor's done nothing... " She stopped herself, but it was too late.

Quirking an eyebrow, Missy grinned. "Well, in that case, it must be that 'dumb ginger'. That  _is_  the correct term, isn't it? I do so need to keep a _breast_  of Human insults."

"Don't you  _dare_  talk about Amy!" snapped Clara. Missy appeared momentarily taken aback, but quickly recovered. "If you so much as  _look_  at her, I'll make you go through all your regenerations in five minutes!"

Missy held out her arms. "Well, I can't very well 'look at her' right now, can I? Is she at home or at work?"

Again Clara spoke before she thought. " _This_  is her home."

"Then where is she?"

Clara bit her own lip. She did not want to admit Amy was with the Doctor to Missy, for a variety of reasons. However, now the situation was brought up... "Wait... you turn up right now, while Amy and... while Amy's gone. Did you know I was alone?"

"Pure coincidence, I assure you," scoffed Missy.

" _Bullshit_." Clara marched upto the Time Lady and pointed a finger right in her face. "What did you do, Missy? Did  _you_  take Rory?"

Now Missy looked confused. "What's a 'Rory'?"

"Stop with the games, Missy!" ordered Clara. "You know damn well what's going on! You know Amy and the Doctor have gone off to rescue Rory! You kidnapped him, didn't you?!"

The Victorian-clad woman just looked at her, all mirth gone. "Clara, I promise you, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Clara looked into her eyes, confusion ingulfing her. The situation made too much sense, but bizarrely, Clara hoped she was wrong. She thought she knew Missy - after their experience on Skaro, that there was some kind of understanding between them, some begrudging respect. Then again... "I can't believe a thing you say," she eventually breathed.

Missy moved closer to her, her gaze unwavering. "Clara, when have I ever lied to you?"

"You tried to get the Doctor to kill me," the teacher tutted.

"Oh, please." The Time Lady rolled her eyes. "I knew the soppy old fool wouldn't do it. Even to a Dalek."

Clara's anger wavered. Much as she hated to admit it, Missy was  _right_ : Clara knew she was never really in any danger from the Time Lord. In an attempt to hide her slight embarrassment at being caught out - again - Clara took a sip of her tea.

"Ooh, what I wouldn't give to be that mug right now."

Clara nearly spat the drink all over Missy's purple corset. " _What_?"

The Time Lady smiled. "I can still taste your lips."

Again Clara choked. "Wh...  _WHAT_? Oh my God... I... I... "

"Don't tell me you've forgotten, puppy," soothed the Time Lady.

"N... no," stammered the teacher. "Of course not." She then took a breath, a modicum of confidence returning. "But if you think I believe that was a standard 3W welcome, then think again."

A knowing, almost evil smile formed on Missy's face. "Oh, I'm not talking about that. I meant on Skaro."

Oh no. A chill went down Clara's spine as she remembered. When they were both trapped on the Dalek homeworld, and during a particularly high-pressure - or was it high-lunatic? - moment, Missy again kissed her. And Clara actually... "It... it... that was a mistake," she stuttered. "A... moment of weakness... " Shame swept over her.

"It was anything but weak, darling." Missy's eyes widened slightly, as if in awe. "There was such...  _passion_."

Clara looked away, unable to meet her visitor's eyes. "I... I was confused... "

"Oh,  _please_ ," gasped Missy. "You're not saying you confused me with Annie, are you?" When Clara corrected her on Amy's name, the time traveller just rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She then began absently checking her nails. "No, I'm afraid you'll have to come up with something better than that, puppy."

Clara felt terrible; she tried to wipe that memory from her mind, and thought she succeeded. She never wanted to be reminded about the fact they shared a kiss -  _twice_. "Why are you trying to hurt me?"

Missy suddenly looked crushed. Concern was now visible in her eyes. "I'm not trying to hurt you, Clara. I just wanted to know if you still... thought about it. About me."

"Of course I don't." She did. Clara could not deny how good a kisser the Time Lady was, brief though their two dalliances were. But they were both under extenuating circumstances, particularly the Skaro one. And yes, there was passion and electricity both times, but no love like when Clara kissed...

"Well, I have to say I'm wounded," moaned Missy. "I think about it all the time. In fact - and this is quite difficult for me to admit - I've found myself unable to stop thinking about you."

Clara could not believe what she was hearing.

"You could say I've grown rather... fond of you," the Time Lady said, almost bashfully.

At that, Clara's nerve returned. She let out a choked laugh. "Get real." She then clenched her jaw. "Better yet - get  _out_. Take your pillar or clock or whatever it is and fuck off out of my home."

Missy narrowed her eyes, and for a moment the Impossible Girl saw danger in them. All possible warmth or affection from the older woman was - for a few agonising seconds - completely gone, and Clara actually feared for her life. "Don't you mean yours and  _Amy's_  home?" came the eventual, cool response.

That caught her offguard. She visibly gulped as all her mixed feelings to her fiancee returned. "Don't. Just don't." She felt Missy's enquiring gaze on her, and the Time Lady tilted her head, as if studying her.

Clara was proven right by what she said next. "I think I understand now. Amy's gone after this 'Rory'. Is it a brother, perhaps? Or friend?"

Clara turned her back on her, closing her eyes in pain. "Don't," she repeated. "Please just go."

"Ah, I get it," came the Scottish voice from behind. "A  _lover_.  _Ex_ -lover, obviously." A pause. "Right... ?"

Clara was aware at least some Time Lords and Ladies were telepathic. But for whatever reason, she always assumed she would inherently  _feel_  if Missy actively probed her mind. And despite Missy's words, Clara did not feel any other presence in her head.

"I'll tell you one thing," Missy continued. "Whenever I was married, I never even  _thought_  about previous lovers, let alone went gallivanting off after them."

"I can't believe for a second anyone would be stupid enough to marry you," spat Clara.

"Oh, believe it, sweetheart." Missy's voice was noticeably closer. "And I can assure you, they were all  _very_  satisfied to be so."

Another gulp. Clara could now feel the other woman right behind her... her breath on the back of her neck. "If you were mine, I'd never leave you to go chase after an old boyfriend."

The teacher's eyes welled. "It's not like that... " she whispered.

"Are you sure? I'm not reading your thoughts, my sweet Clara, but I can still,  _well_ , read you like a book." She gently put her hands on Clara's shoulders, making the Human let out a silent gasp. "You're scared, aren't you? Why didn't you go with them?"

"I... I couldn't... " Clara admitted. "The TARDIS wouldn't... " She stopped. "I just couldn't."

"And she still left you?" Missy then softly turned Clara around until they were face-to-face again. She looked down into Clara's puppy eyes and sighed. "How could she do that to you?"

How, indeed? All Clara's doubts and fears were back at the surface. It just reinforced the fear going through her, that Amy would go back to the safety and normalcy of Rory.

"My sweet, sweet Clara," breathed Missy. She tenderly raised a hand and cupped the teacher's face; Clara was too caught up in the Time Lady's eyes to move. "You really don't deserve such treatment. You shouldn't be second-best to anyone... "

Clara felt water under her eyes again...  _second-best_? Was that what she was to Amy? Would Rory always take precedence over her? Is that why Amy left, even when Clara could not follow? Would Amy always drop everything for her ex-fiance, even her principles? Why else would she leave, after everything she said to Clara about staying with the Doctor?

"I'd never turn my back on you," Missy continued. "I'd never break your heart... " With every word she drew closer, until Clara was up against a chest of drawers.

She did not even notice. Clara's mouth went dry. She could now feel the Time Lady's breath. "I... I think you should... "

She was cut off when Missy suddenly planted her lips on hers. Clara's first instinct was to pull away, but she had nowhere to go: she was pinned against the piece of furniture. She groaned as Missy pressed deeper, delving her tongue down Clara's throat as far as possible.

Just like their previous kisses, it made Clara's head swim. There was no denying how good Missy was at this: despite her better judgement, Clara found herself moving a hand upto Missy's hair... just like on Skaro...

Before anything could escalate, Missy pulled away, leaving Clara redfaced and flustered. She struggled to get air back into her body, while the Time Lady just looked at her, wide-eyed.

Clara breathed heavily...

"My precious Clara... " whispered Missy.

She could not hold herself back any longer. With an animal-like hunger, Clara reached up and pulled Missy's head back down as they met in another searing kiss. Missy pushed her puppy even harder against the chest of drawers and Clara melted into the connection, even as Missy's hand moved under her skirt...


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

They were lost. Amy did not know why was surprised.

"This way... no wait, this way. Wait. Um, OK... "

She closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself. She was rapidly losing her cool. "Doctor... "

The old man turned to her, still muttering. "I'm pretty sure this is the way." He raised his sonic screwdriver in the air again. "Hmm, wait, maybe... "

Amy tried holding in the growl wanting to crawl out of her throat. They were wasting time. In a number of ways.

They finally reached Rory's place of imprisonment specified in the mysterious note. What said note did not include was the fact he was being held underground. Just some vague directions to a sand dune which ended up leading to what looked like a nuclear bunker. The pair then trudged down into the depths and began wandering, the Doctor waving his screwdriver out infront of him like a loon. "Are you sure you haven't been here before?" asked Amy, hoping the Time Lord would realise he  _had_  and thus suddenly know where to go.

"Believe it or not, Ms. Pond, but I  _haven't_  been everywhere," the Doctor grumbled. "I know it's hard to believe - I find it hard to believe myself - but space is big. Like,  _really_  big. Seriously, you wouldn't believe how vastly... "

"A simple 'yes' would've sufficed," interrupted Amy. "And there was no need to say 'believe' so much." She again tried to stifle her emotions, which were being pulled in different directions. First and foremost, of course, was the safety of Rory. But barely behind her concerns for her ex-fiance, were Amy's worries over her  _current_  fiancee.

At least, she hoped that was still the case. Amy shuddered at what Clara would do when they got back. The teacher would at least give a stern telling off, and it would  _not_  be the kind usually turning Amy on. No, Amy realised she would be in deep trouble when she returned home, and frankly, she could understand.

Indeed, part of her wanted to stay behind: once it became clear the TARDIS would not let Clara in - and what the fuck  _was_  that about, anyway?! - it made perfect sense to just not go. After all, the Doctor nor the note ever specified Amy  _had_  to participate in Rory's rescue; she knew the Doctor was perfectly capable of doing so alone... once he found him, of course.

But Amy knew, and clearly the Time Lord did too, she  _did_  have to accompany him. Rory was a big part of her life, and she still cared for him deeply. Though she was completely in love with Clara, and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with the teacher, Amy could never turn her back on Rory if he was in trouble.

Amy prayed Clara would understand. Though she obviously saw her fiancee's point - it was  _unbelievably_  hypocritical to go with the Doctor considering their current relationship crisis. When Amy got home, however, she would take it on the chin: she would bear whatever fury Clara dealt out and promise to make it upto her.

Unless the worst-case scenario occurred. Amy felt a chill at the thought. What if Clara called it off? What if she ripped her engagement ring from her hand and threw it in Amy's face? What if she  _did_ run off with the Doctor, through no fault of his own?

Amy closed her eyes and gulped. Please, let them get past this... let this all work out. Let them find Rory, return home, and everything go back to the way it was.

"Ah-ha!" Amy was brought out of her musings by the Time Lord's exclamation. "I'm getting something."

"A clue, hopefully," muttered Amy before she could stop herself.

"More than a clue, my dear Amy," he beamed, far from insulted. "Look, see?" He pointed down the darkened path at a small sliver of light. "Literally light at the end of the tunnel!"

"So after all that waving about," Amy said, "your screwdriver did bugger all and you just had to use your eyes?"

" _Obviously_  it was the sonic," the Doctor gasped. "Very sophisticated piece of tech, this." They reached the end of the path to find a door closed, but evidently unlocked. Light was seeping out from under the crack. "It detected the door, y'see and... " He paused as he took in the door. "Oh, wait - it's wood."

Amy glared at him.

"Huh. Guess I  _did_  just use my eyes, then." He shrugged. "Not that that's a bad thing. I knew a Gallifreyan who once regenerated into a Vulpimancer. No eyes at all, those... hey!"

Reaching the end of her tether, Amy just pushed past him and threw the door open. She was stopped in her tracks at the sight meeting her. The room was dimly lit with a single candle, and chained up against the stoned wall was Rory Williams, head weakly looking up at her. "You came... I knew you would... "

"Oh my God," gasped Amy as she rushed to his side. "Rory, my God... what  _happened_? Are you alright?"

"Clearly he isn't," said the Doctor, reaching them and getting his screwdriver to work on Rory's shackles. "He needs food and water or he's gonna die, I'd say. Or worse, complain."

Amy's jaw dropped. It still surprised her how cranky and sardonic this version of their old friend could be.

"For a Doctor... " mumbled Rory, "... your bedside manner is rubbish... "

The Doctor tutted. "See, I told you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

What had she done?

Clara lay in the bed, pulling the sheets closer to her naked body. She stared out as tears poured down her face. She felt a terrible sickness in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to throw up.

God... what had she  _done_?

Clara kept running through the events in her head. The events leading to her current state of shock and despair. She and Missy... she and Missy...

A sob escaped her throat as she tightened her grip on the bedsheets. She never felt worse than right now, never filled with such self-hate. How could this happen?

It was all a blur, yet totally vivid at the same time. Kisses led to heavy petting, which led to frantic removal of clothing, which led to... Clara betraying the woman she loved.

She already climaxed twice before they somehow stumbled into Missy's TARDIS. And once inside, Clara ended up having, frankly, the wildest sex of her life. The Time Lady was like an animal: she took Clara with no compunction, and to the teacher's eternal shame, she  _let_  her. Her head was too clogged with desire and, well, anger to know what she was doing.

Except she did. Clara groaned as she recalled. She knew  _exactly_  what she was doing the whole time. In a moment of supreme weakness and pettiness, she gave herself to the Doctor's eternal enemy; in the process, the Impossible Girl proved she was capable of anything. In the ultimate case of bad judgement, she listened to Missy's seductive and coaxing words, clearly designed to cast Amy in the worst possible light... and gave in.

Fresh tears seeped down as Clara's guts churned. She felt a fool; but more than that, she felt shame to the very depths of her heart. Indeed, her heart was broken at the thought of what she committed. How could she?

At the time, it was very easy: Clara could not deny how amazing the Time Lady was in bed. She was incredibly passionate, barely giving Clara a moment's rest. They had sex for what felt like hours - and in a TARDIS, it hardly mattered - leaving Clara exhausted. But Clara's cheeks threatened to burst at the fact she gave, or at least tried to give, as good as she got. Feeling utterly betrayed by Amy going with the Doctor, Clara did her very best to satisfy Missy. And judging by the sounds the Time Lady made at various points, Clara did a pretty good job.

But now? Now the heat of passion was gone, and her mind was coherent again? Clara just wanted to  _die_. She wanted to step out of the TARDIS - the machine apparently being knocked into dematerialising during a particularly rough moment between the two women - leap into the time vortex and be torn apart. She did not deserve to live.

How could she? Amy Pond was the most beautiful, perfect person Clara ever met, or could possibly meet. She loved the Scot with every ounce of her being. The guilt of what she did cut through to Clara's very core.

Clara closed her eyes as she attempted to collect herself. She could sense Missy was not next to her; the Time Lady was off somewhere in her TARDIS. Good. It gave Clara time. After another choked sob, she wiped her red eyes of tears and sat up. Taking a deep breath, she looked around the bedroom, trying to steady her thumping heart.

She silently dressed - it took sometime to find all her clothing in the large boudoir - and just put on her leather jacket as she heard the door open. "Cooey," came an annoyingly chirpy voice, "Does my puppy want some breakfast in... oh, you're up." Clara turned to look at a visibly annoyed Missy wearing a nightgown and carrying a tray of food. "And dressed."

Clara clenched her jaw. When she spoke, she tried putting as much force as she could into her voice. "Take me home."

"Home?" Missy looked devastated. "But we've just landed. A beautiful planet, one I'm sure you'll li... "

"Unless it's London, Earth in 2015," interrupted Clara, "then you're even more insane than I thought. Take me home.  _Now_."

"Why would you want to go home, darling?" Missy placed the tray on a nearby table and put her hands on her hips, which were posed slightly. "After what we shared, I thought... "

"We shared  _nothing_!" screamed the teacher. "Do you hear me,  _NOTHING_! This  _never happened_!"

Her mouth crooked into a smirk. "Oh, but it did, my love. Don't try to play that game again. You might be just  _adorable_  when you do so, but you need to stop pretending you're always 'confused'. First Skaro and now here? Please, Clara. I'm no fool."

"What did you do to me?" spat Clara. "Hypnotise me? Drug me? 'Pheromone dust' me or something?!"

"I needed no such trickery, I assure you." Missy's smirk widened into a full grin. "It was all you. Well, you and me. And it was just  _glorious_." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Don't even try and deny  _that_ , poppet."

Clara's cheeks again went flush. No, not now. Not  _ever again_. "What it was was the biggest mistake of my life. You're the sickest, most twisted and  _evil_  person I've ever met."

All mirth was gone as the Time Lady's face dropped. "Clara, please... "

"Stop," Clara said as she strode towards her. "Just stop! Take me home,  _right now_ , and if you ever even  _think_  about telling Amy or the Doctor what happened, I  _WILL kill you_."

Missy just glared at her, wide-eyed. Even  _she_  would have gotten that message loud and clear. But before anything else could be said or done, another message rang, just as loud and just as clear. An alarm filled the room and both women frowned.

"Well, that's odd," clicked Missy. When Clara asked what happening, she bit her lip as if embarrassed. "We, er, appear to be under attack."

" _Attack_?" yelped Clara. But Missy was already moving, running out the bedroom and down the corridor. The teacher followed her until they reached the control room. The Time Lady, still clad only in her nightgown, furiously got the TARDIS scanners to work.

Clara could not believe what was happening. Her bewilderment only grew when the room suddenly shook violently. She experienced that enough times on the Doctor's TARDIS to know Missy's was just hit by... something.

"Well, I never," mused the Time Lady. "I didn't think they'd follow me this... " She was cut off when the ship again rocked, enough this time to send both women off their feet. There was then an explosion, sending bits of wall and internal circuitry flying.

Somehow, Missy managed to position herself ontop of Clara, which only confused the Human further: the Time Lady was apparently actively protecting her... just like on Skaro.

But the shock was still enough to daze them both. After a third strike on the TARDIS Missy was flown clear of Clara, who was rapidly going dizzy. By the time the shaking and banging stopped, she was barely conscious.

She was only vaguely aware of a small group of people marching through the smoke left in the aftermath. They all wore white, and had pronounced widow's peaks and eyebrows.

"The witch thought she could get away from us," said the one at front, clearly the leader. "No one steals from the Morok Empire!"

Then Clara's eyes rolled into the back of her head and everything went black...


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

The Moroks looked around, studying the carnage they wrought. The ship's control room was now a shambles, debris everywhere. And on the floor were two Humanoids, both female and unconscious.

The leader of the invading party nodded in approval. "Search the ship. It must be here somewhere."

A lieutenant wandered over. "Er, Commander Dullos, what exactly are we looking for again?"

Dullos glared at him. "Weren't you paying attention? The woman stole a vital scientific experiment our labs had been divising. Now find it."

The lieutenant blinked. "But... er, what  _is_  it, exactly?"

"A pathogen," said Dullos. "A controlled, injectable virus that attacks the digestive system and renders the immune system inert."

The lieutenant's pronounced eyebrows raised. "That seems awfully harsh, sir."

"No one ever said galactic conquest was clean, lieutenant," said Dullos. "Now help the others find it."

"What does it look like?"

"I don't know," snapped the commander. "I'm not a scientist. I'm a soldier. I'm just following orders."

Just then, another lieutenant spoke up from a few feet away. "Commander, we've found it." He walked over carrying a large briefcase-like object. "It was still in this room. She mustn't have had time to store it somewhere."

"Are you sure?" Dullos asked. When he saw the symbol for the fledgling Morok Empire on the casing, he smiled. "Well, that'll be it, then. Make sure the contents haven't been damaged."

Another lieutenant opened the box and started inspecting the contents. "Is it supposed to be liquidy?" she queried, before shrugging. "Well, anyway, everything seems to be order. But there's no way of knowing without getting it back to the lab."

"Very, well, let's... " Dullos then paused, and turned his attention to the two women on the floor. "Wait," he eventually said, "I have an idea. We'll test it."

The first lieutenant frowned. "Sir?"

"When she was our prisoner," began Dullos, pointing at Missy, "I wanted to use the pathogen on her. I wanted to wipe that smug smirk off her face."

"But sir," said one of the Moroks, "We already tried it on her; she's too powerful for it. That's how she managed to get away with it in the first place."

"Don't remind me," spat Dullos. He then quirked a brow. "She even implied that it would be so inneffectual, it wouldn't work on  _anyone_. Fortunately, fortune has given us an opportunity to prove that witch wrong." He nodded to Clara's prone body. "Get her on a table."

"There isn't a table, sir."

"Then on that chair over there!" Dullos snapped. "One more smart comment, lieutenant, and you'll spend the rest of your career on Xeros." The commander humphed as his subordinates did as instructed: Clara, still out cold, was carried onto the nearby sofa and her shirt rolled up, exposing her midriff. From what the Moroks were told, it had to be administered through the stomach. A small vial was then taken from the box and carefully prepared into a syringe, also in the case.

It penetrated the skin easily. Clara did not wake as the liquid was injected into her. The Moroks then stood still for a minute or two, waiting. "Well?" Dullos eventually muttered.

"Um," came the befuddled response, "From what I understand, it should be working by now. Her skin should be turning and her hair falling out." The lieutenant who earlier questioned the severity of the pathogen, had to stifle a gag.

"Maybe she's immune too," said another lieutenant.

"Give her another shot," ordered Dullos.

Suddenly, a searing whine cut through the room, and one of the Moroks vanished in a blast of vaporisation. The others turned around, startled.

A haggard-looking Missy stood on shaky legs, a sonic disruptor in her hand, ready to take a second shot. "Get away from my Clara."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

A second dead soldier and the Moroks were gone. It did not take much to scare them: for a budding empire, they were surprisingly cowardly.

Once the tresspassers fled, Missy locked her TARDIS' doors and managed to get it into the air. After several minutes, the ship was free of the planet's atmosphere. It handled well, considering - the damage was largely superficial.

Once satisfied they were safe, Missy dashed over to Clara and looked her over. "C'mon puppy," she whispered. "Come back to me." She looked at the young woman's belly and saw the syringe still poking out. Pulling it free, the Timy Lady bit her lip as a spot of blood spat out the puncture. Nothing a little 39th century antiseptic would not take care of.

"Come on, Clara," she soothed. She felt her Human's forehead. A slight temperature. "Shit." Missy grit her teeth. "Shit shit shit shit." She gently shook the teacher. "Clara? Honey, can you hear me?"

After a few agonising moments, a groan emerged from the young woman as she slowly woke. "A... Amy... "

At that, Missy just rolled her eyes. "No, deary, it's not your clueless little ginger - it's me."

Clara's eyes eventually fluttered open, and she breathed heavy as she tried to focus. "Oh... you... "

"Glad you still remember me, sweetheart," smiled the Time Lady.

"What... happened?"

"Nothing too important," said Missy. "Just a little... disturbance."

Clara ducked her head. "My... stomach hurts... "

"Ah, yes, well... " Missy grimaced. "That's kinda what the disturbance was... "

It did not take long for Clara to fully awaken. It was probably the sentence,  _"Aliens injected something into you,"_  which did the trick. The Human quickly went from tired and groggy to wide-eyed and hysterical.

That led to over an hour of tests in Missy's sickbay. Fortunately, and bizarrely, nothing seemed wrong. "You can't be serious," Clara growled.

"I'm perfectly serious," said Missy. "There's nothing in you. No change at all."

"I saw the syringe, Missy," snapped Clara. "I saw the box of vials. I've been doing this for long enough to know it's never 'nothing'!"

"Clara, I promise." Missy held up her hands in suplication. "I've run every test I can think of, and you're absolutely fine. Whatever it was, either your immune system killed it or it was benign to begin with."

It was another hour before Clara was convinced nothing was going to burst out her chest or something. She personally inspected everyone of the medical reports, and indeed saw nothing amiss. Eventually, she just sat in a room in the sickbay, rubbing her eyes in fatigue.

"Clara, I  _am_  sorry about this," the Time Lady offered. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"Don't start," Clara sneered.

"I'm sorry." Missy's head lowered. "I wish you would trust me. Especially after we made lo... "

Clara suddenly shot to her feet and slapped the Gallifreyen hard against the cheek. "I said ' _don't start_ ', you bitch!" She could already feel her eyes welling. "Don't you  _dare_  use that word! You don't even know what it means!"

Missy glared at her, and again part of Clara wondered if she pushed too far and finally broke the facade. But it held. "You're upset. I understand. You'll feel better when we go after them."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" yelped the teacher. "Just take me home!"

Missy frowned. "Don't you want revenge?  _I_  do. Not only did they damage my ship, but they assaulted the woman I lo... "

" _SHUT UP_!" Clara threw the medical test papers to the floor. "Just  _SHUT UP_! I can't  _take anymore of this_! Just  _take me HOME_!"

Another steely look. When Missy spoke again, it was cold, almost distant. "Very well. If that's what you wish." And like that, the Time Lady strode out the medibay.

The rest of their time together was spent in silence, until the TARDIS finally materialised back in Clara and Amy's home. Clara stormed out the ship - which was again in the form of a grandfather clock - and looked around; at what she was not sure. She desperately wanted Amy to be home, but did not want her fiancee to see in whose company she was.

"There," Missy sighed from the TARDIS doorway. "You're back. About five seconds after we left." When Clara questioned her wordlessly, Missy gave a halfhearted chuckle. "We Time Lords - or Ladies - are impeccable at timing, my dear. Well, our mutual friend isn't, obviously. He's hopeless. But  _me_? I'm a master at it."

Clara simply shook her head. "Whatever. Just fuck off and stay out of my life."

"Y'know, you won't be able to forget what happened," said Missy coyly. "And trust me, neither will I." She then smirked. "I guess it'll just be... our little secret, eh, poppet?"

Then she was gone. Clara stood motionless in the living room for several minutes, before finally succumbing and letting the tears run free once more...


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

Amy sat at the dining table, studying the person sitting opposite intently as he devoured his food. "How long were you there again?"

Rory looked up and frowned. "In the prison?" he mumbled with his mouth full.

"No, in the toilet." Amy rolled her eyes. "Of course in the prison, you plonker."

Rory shrugged. "A day? Maybe two? I don't know, really. There was no window, so I couldn't tell when the sun was up. Did that planet even have a sun?"

"At least two," the Scot replied. She watched as he eagerly returned to his meal. They were in a little dining room in the TARDIS, waiting for the Doctor to tell them they were home. "I only ask 'cos I've never seen you eat so much."

"Well, even though I don't really know how long I was there, it still felt like bloody ages," smiled Rory.

"You're taking this awfully well."

He shrugged again. "I dunno. I just knew you'd come get me."

Amy fell silent. It was true what she thought earlier: the Doctor  _knew_  she would have to be included if Rory was in trouble.

"I'm just sorry I couldn't tell you anymore details," Rory then said. It particularly grated the Doctor at the distinct  _lack_  of information Rory had regarding his capture. He was just working one day in the hospital when he felt an impact of  _somekind_  at the back, then everything went dark. No warning, no clues. Just one moment he was going through patient paperwork, then a sharp pain... and the next thing he knew, he was locked up in an underground cell. No one ever communicated with him at any point; no threats, no typical villain rhetoric. There was not even any wound on his body, no clue to what or who rendered him unconscious.

"Once we get back," Amy said, "I expect the Doctor'll go through the 'crime scene'."

"I'll help in anyway I can," said Rory. A few minutes passed in silence, before he spoke again. "By the way, where's Clara?"

Amy groaned. He had to ask. "She's... at home," she said stiltedly, before turning her gaze down to her plate.

"Why didn't she come with you?"

Sighing deeply, Amy absently poked at her food. She could have just explained how the TARDIS refused Clara entry, but that was something still baffling them. No need to concern Rory with that. "She... didn't feel well," Amy eventually offered.

"Doesn't seem like that would put her off travelling with the Doctor," said Rory innocently. Despite their breakup and Amy's subsequent relationship and engagement to Clara, she and Rory still remained friends. As a result, Rory met the teacher quite a few times, and the two got on well.

"She has a cold." That was pathetic. She closed her eyes as memories of their fights reared their ugly heads once more.

Of course, Rory noticed. "Amy? What's wrong?"

Groaning again, the Scot held her head. There was no point lying to him. There never was. "We're going through... a... rough patch."

"What's happened?"

Amy did not tell him much. Only that they were "starting to think they wanted different things", which was true, but not exactly the whole story. Perhaps Rory knew precisely what she meant: after all, it was the reason  _they_  split up in the first place. Only then, it was Amy unable to give up the Doctor.

"You'll work it out," Rory said simply.

"That's it?" the Scot tutted. "That's all you've got to say?"

He actually chuckled. "Let me tell you something, Amy. We split up, what, two years ago? Three? Yet we've been in regular contact all the time, even after you met and got with Clara."

She shrugged. "What're you getting at?" She was rapidly losing her patience.

He looked at her like she was missing the most obvious thing in the universe. "Why do you think I've never tried to, well, 'win you back'? It's because I've seen how you are with Clara. How  _happy_  you are."

"I was happy with you too, Rory. Really I was."

"I know, I know," he soothed. "But my point is, I know how much you love Clara. It's written all over your face. And trust me, I know perfectly well how much she loves you. She tells me as often as she can. To be honest, I think she brags." At Amy's distraught face, he quickly laughed. "Don't worry, I know she doesn't mean to."

Amy was at a loss for words.

"My point is," Rory continued, "I know I'd have no chance of 'winning you back', because I know how much you and Clara love eachother. And that's why I know, whatever this 'rough patch' is, you'll sort it out. You and I weren't strong enough to get over what split us up, but you and Clara?  _Whatever the reason_... " - he knew why - " - it won't split you up.  _Your_  relationship is too strong."

She was nearly in tears again. He seemed to sense it. "Anyway," he said, dropping his fork onto his now-empty plate. "I'm sure the Doctor will want to grill me again."

"I'll come with you," said Amy, her own meal long forgotten. She needed a distraction.

As they both left to head back to the control room, Rory nudged her playfully. "You always did like seeing him chew me out."

She sniggered at that, but at the same time her mind was racing at his words. Was he right? Were she and Clara strong enough to overcome this crisis?  _Was_  this just a "blip"?

Please,  _please_  let that be the case...


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

When the TARDIS finally materialised in the living room, Amy hoped not too much time passed. The Doctor assured they were in the right time, but he was never 100% certain. Then again, with a little luck, perhaps they returned  _before_  Amy and Clara's fight even started...

But when she stepped out the police box, the first thing the Scot saw was her fiancee staring at the time machine wide-eyed and clenched-jawed. Clara was wearing the same clothes she was in when Amy and the Doctor left, and a quick glance at the wall clock - which helpfully told the date, too - revealed only a few hours had passed.

Amy wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but instead all she could do was return Clara's gaze; the Impossible Girl's impossibly beautiful orbs were red from crying. Amy knew the reason why: no doubt, Clara was immensely upset with her over leaving.

"You came back... " Clara eventually breathed.

"Of course I came back," said Amy haltingly. What did her lover mean by that? Did she think she was going to stay with the Doctor? Or...  _oh_.  _Rory_.

Just then the Doctor poked his head out the blue doors. "OK, good, good. See Amy, I told you I'd get us back to the right place."

Amy did not even respond, more concerned with Clara's stilted posture. She frowned when the teacher lowered her head; if it was still as long as it used to be, her hair with its bangs would have covered her face.

"Did... did you find Rory?" Clara's question was heavy with doubt.

"Yeah, yeah we did," replied Amy. "He's fine. He's inside. The Doctor's gonna take him home." She reckoned it was not a good idea, considering the situation, for Rory to make an appearance. Which he had no problem with: he and Amy said their goodbyes already, promising to catch up as soon as possible.

"Good, that's good." Clara then visibly gulped. "I mean, it's good that he's... safe... "

Amy smiled minutely. "I know."

"Clara," came the Doctor's voice, "I've been thinking about what happened with the TARDIS, and I think we should... "

"Um, actually, Doctor," interrupted Clara, some strength - or at least the facade of such - returning to her voice. "Could you... leave us alone for abit?"

The Time Lord frowned deeply. "I think we need to sort this out, ladies. The old girl has never denied entry to anyone she knows before, not without reason. I think we... "

"Doctor, I think it can wait... " said Amy. Frankly, she wanted to get the scolding she was about to get over with as soon as possible.

"But... "

Suddenly Clara let out a sob. "Doctor,  _please_... !" Oh God. It was as bad as Amy knew it would be. Clara was clearly barely holding onto any decorum. Amy was in big trouble.

Thankfully, the Doctor seemed to get the message. When he spoke next, his voice was warm and slow, laced with understanding. "OK. OK. I'll... take Rory home, and I'll be in touch. I hope y... " He stopped, obviously unsure of what to say. He stammered for a moment, then cleared his throat and disappeared back into the TARDIS. Within seconds, it was gone.

The two women stood there, mere paces apart. This was it, Amy knew. Clara was going to let rip. She was going to throw her engagement ring right in her face. "Clara... "

Then, without warning, Clara's face twisted into one of pure agony, and she dashed to the Scot. She crashed into her, wrapping her up in her arms and burying her face in Amy's chest. "I'm sorry!" she cried. "I'm so so so  _SORRY_! Please...  _PLEASE_... !"

Amy barely managed to keep her footing, but automatically returned the embrace and nuzzled herself deep. "Clara... ?"

"I'm sorry for  _EVERYTHING_!" came Clara's spluttered words. Amy could feel the tears on her chest. "I'm sorry for everything I said and... and  _did_! I don't care about anything but  _you_ , Amy, I  _promise_! Please... please  _don't leave me_... !"

"Never," whispered Amy emphatically. "I swear." This was certainly not what she expected. Clara seemed utterly broken.

"I'll... I'll do whatever you want," blubbed Clara. "I don't care about the TARDIS or space or anything. We can stay here forever, I don't care." She raised her head and cradled Amy's face with her hands. The Scot never saw her fiancee so distraught. "Just don't leave me, Amy -  _please_. I don't care if it's just you and me and no one else. I just can't lose you, Amy. Please... I love you so,  _so MUCH_!" With that, Clara burst into more tears, and lowered her head again.

What happened while Amy was away? Was Clara as agonised over the prospect of them breaking up as she was? The thought was completely terrifying to Amy - but it seemed evenmoreso for Clara. What changed? Why was her fiancee suddenly so apologetic? "Clara, my angel... what's happened?" she soothed.

Another visible - and audible - gulp, and Clara looked back up at her, now with panic in her eyes. "I... I... I just... "

Amy kissed her tenderly, her own eyes welling up. "Whatever it is, you know you can tell me anything, Clara. Anything at all."

That only appeared to make things worse, as Clara seemed to actively  _swallow_  down more grief. She closed her eyes tight and began shaking her head. "N... n... nothi... nothing... it's just... just... " Her words were competing with more sobs. "I just can't lose, lose you, Amy. Just  _please_ , please say you'll  _never leave me_!"

Now Amy was crying also. She hated seeing the love of her life in such a state. She would do anything to make sure nothing hurt Clara,  _ever_. "My love, I swear to you, nothing you could do could ever make me want to leave you. I know it's our destiny to spend our lives together." She chuckled slightly. "And I don't even need to ask you-know-who."

Clara took a deep breath as tears continued streaming down her cheeks. "N... nothing matters anymore," she said, her voice almost hoarse. "None of what I said... I... I don't care about anything I said anymore. You... you must know that. All I care about now is being with you. I don't... I don't care if we never go with the Doctor again. I just... I just want to be with you, Amy. Please, please... "

"Clara, please tell me what's... "

" _No_ ," came the sharp reply. "I... I told you, it doesn't matter. Just... just... no more. It doesn't matter anymore. Please... let's not... speak of it again."

"OK," Amy breathed. "OK... " She stroked Clara's hair reverently. The Scot knew very well they  _would_  have to talk about it eventually, but now was evidently not the time. Whatever was going on, Clara clearly "realised" she was in the wrong, or at least had a massive fear Amy would go back with Rory. They could talk about the details later, when Clara was calmer.

But then, Clara lifted her head and looked up at Amy with her big puppy eyes, still so full of pain. "And we should get married."

Amy could not help a choked laugh at that. "Well, yes, we should. And we will, Clara. Nothing will stop me from being your wife."

Surprisingly, Clara vehemently shook her head. "No, no, we... I mean, we... we should get married now. Today."

Amy's eyes nearly popped out. " _What_?"

"Or... or tonight," continued the teacher. "Either, but we... we need to get married,  _now_."

Amy could not believe what was going on. After everything that happened over the past couple of days, not only does her fiancee break down and beg they stay together, not only does she insist everything they were fighting over  _"doesn't matter anymore"_ , but Clara is now demanding they... ? "Clara, do you realise what you're saying?"

"I don't want to wait anymore," the Impossible Girl said resolutely. "It's pointless waiting. I've known since the first time we made... " - a pained pause - "... I wanted to marry you. I don't want to waste anymore time. I don't want to risk anything else coming between us."

Amy just shook her head in disbelief. "Sweetheart... "

"We... we can call your parents and aunt. And I'm sure my dad and gran can get here in time. I mean, if we call them right now. We can book a registry office and... "

" _Clara_ ," intercepted Amy. "Just calm down. What's brought this on?"

"I... I just... " A flicker of...  _something_  in Clara's eyes. "I just don't want to wait anymore. I want us to be married, as soon as possible." She again cupped Amy's face. "Please, Amy? I don't want to lose you again."

Amy lowered down and kissed Clara lovingly. "You never did. And you never will."

Clara flung herself back tight against Amy. They held eachother for a long, long time...


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.
> 
> 2\. Yes, I've done a "Doctor Who" joke, but you have to include one, right? Right... ?

Most brides-to-be probably spent the morning of their wedding day overwhelmingly excited, or wracked with nerves. Perhaps bouncing from wall-to-wall with pent-up anticipation, unable to wait to walk down the aisle to the person they wanted to spend the rest of their life with.

For Clara Oswald, the morning of her wedding day so far was spent with her head down the toilet.

Tears streamed down her face as she continued wretching, and she held onto the rim of the seat for support. What her tears were over, however, was not especially clear in her mind. Was it the physical exertion of emptying the contents of her stomach - which, after twenty minutes just today, was well and truly empty - or was it the  _reason_  for her feeling so ill?

Clara knew damn well why she was this way. As she continued heaving her sore throat and trying to gulp down air at the same time, the overwhelming guilt again swept through her, proving how all her efforts to bury it were useless.

It was surprising how quickly everything fell into place. Despite Clara's assertions they marry immediately upon Amy's return, the Scot was able to persuade the teacher to allow a _bit_  of preparation time. Evenso, two days was almost akin to doing the impossible, even for the Impossible Girl. But through a combination of quick calls, speed shopping and sheer determination, they had enough to be satisfied with.

They managed to book a small chapel in the city centre, and hotel for the night. It was not the most lavish room, but the best they could get on short notice. They even succeeded in finding quite nice dresses, albeit at the cost of some of their savings. Clara's father and grandmother, and Amy's parents and aunt were certainly shocked at the sudden change in plans - not that they already had a set date - but all managed to make it for their special day. Rory would be there too, and he was even handling the rings.

And of course, the Doctor was here. He actually decided to hang around for the duration, rather than disappearing and returning for the ceremony itself... probably to make sure he did not miss it. That did mean the TARDIS was parked in their living room for the past day-and-a-half, though, and the bloody thing was still not letting Clara in, which the Time Lord was growing increasingly perturbed about. Clara probably would have been to, but right now she had more important things on her mind.

Which brought her back to the reason for her current distress.

This was her wedding day. This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. But she did not deserve it. She did not deserve the woman she was about to marry. She did not deserve Amy.

How could she? All Clara could think about was what she did, how she betrayed the trust and faith her fiancee had in her. Clara's heart still bled from the knowledge she cheated... slept with someone else. And not just  _anyone_ , but the Doctor's most infamous enemy.

Fresh tears trickled down her face as she stayed kneeling infront of the toilet. What made it an even more pathetic sight was she was  _in her dress_  - but when she looked in the mirror and saw herself in her wedding gown, her heart and stomach turned. How could she  _possibly_  marry Amy after what she did?

She barely managed to rip her veil off before her head was down the seat.

Clara would get through this. All she had to do was get past today. That was one of the reasons she insisted on marrying Amy as soon as possible. She knew, once they were wed, everything would be fine. As soon as the rings were on their fingers and they were declared married, she would be ready to spend the rest of her life with the wonderful Amy Pond. She would kiss the Scot and all her pain would go away. She would bury it forever and never think of what she did - the awful,  _awful_  thing she did - ever again.

She almost believed it.

Eventually, Clara's stomach calmed and she felt confident in leaving the bathroom. It was just in time, too: after examining her dress to make sure it was still presentable and quickly fixing her make-up, she got the knock on the door. It was time.

Her father accompanied her in the car to the chapel. There were not many people waiting for them; indeed, it was literally just Clara's dad and grandmother, Amy's parents and aunt, and Rory and the Doctor. With everything else to set up in just two days, there was no time to invite anyone else. But that did not matter - everyone who truly mattered to Clara and Amy was there.

And who should be the first person they meet upon entering the chapel's lobby but the Time Lord himself. Trust the Doctor not to mingle. He probably spent the entire morning tinkering in his TARDIS, perhaps trying to figure out what the machine's latest problem with Clara was. "It's about time you got here," he said hurriedly. "Amy was starting to panic. She was scared you were getting, er, scared."

Clara was actually early, but after their recent crisis, it was no wonder her fiancee was worried. "Never," she said firmly. "I've never been more certain of anything in my life."

"Good to hear it," the Doctor nodded. He then turned to Dave Oswald. "And good to see you again, sir."

Clara's father shook the Time Lord's hand. "Good to see you too, Dr. ... er, Foreman, isn't it?"

"Dr. who?" Clara gave him a quick kick in the shin. "Ah yes, yes, of course. That's right. Yep. That's my name. My granddaughter's, too." He then frowned. "Then again, she might've changed her name when she got married after the Dal... "

" _Anyway_ ," Clara interrupted, "I think, er... it's... time." It hit her. Time to get married.  _Finally_ , time to make Amy her wife.

The Doctor looked like he wanted to say something, but perhaps the presence of Clara's dad made him pause. After all, Dave did not really know who this old Scottish man was, so it was perhaps inappropriate to get too sentimental... not that the Time Lord was the sentimental type, anyway. Instead, he settled on a warm smile. "I better go take my seat. See you out there... and congratulations."

Once the Time Lord was gone, Dave shook his head. "Odd man. One day you'll have to explain again how you met him."

"Not today, Dad," Clara rolled her eyes.

"Quite right." He turned to look at his daughter. "I wish your mother could see you now. She'd be so proud of you. Just like I am."

Clara felt her eyes well. "Dad... "

"Sorry, sorry," he sighed. "Just... y'know." He then cleared his throat. "Now let's go, Princess. Let's get you married."

Clara smiled as they linked arms, but her smile dropped when they entered the chapel proper and began the walk down the aisle - the Doctor no doubt telling everyone it was time to start.

What made Clara's jaw drop was the sheer sight of perfection waiting at the end of the aisle. Amy Pond never looked more beautiful than she did right now, in her strapless white dress and long veil. If it was not for her father beside her, Clara wondered if her legs would either stop working from nerves, or send her tumbling as she dashed the rest of way to reach her intended. As if sensing his little girl's state, Dave gave her arm a reassuring squeeze.

For her part, Amy raise a hand to her mouth, as if stifling a gasp. As they got nearer, Clara could see the water already forming under the Scot's own eyes, even through the veils. Once more, Clara realised how lucky she was. She was marrying the most wonderful woman in time and space. A woman she clearly did not deserve, but who loved her back and wanted to spend her life with the Impossible Girl.

_She did not deserve..._

Clara forced the thought away as she finally reached the altar. After an obligatory pause, both women, in turn, raised the other's veil, and Clara at least, could not help the audible gasp escape her lips. Amy was even more beautiful than she initially seemed. Yet again Clara wondered what she did to deserve such a lovely creature.

_What she did..._

The vicar ran through the words and sanctity of marriage, whilst Rory was ever ready with the rings. The Doctor sat in the second row; Clara and Amy were more than happy for him to be next to their family, but for whatever reason, he felt uncomfortable doing so. But right now, none of that mattered. All that mattered to Clara were the gorgeous eyes she fell into years ago - and she hoped she would never stop falling.

_Even though she..._

"If there is anyone here present," the vicar said, "who has reason to... "

Suddenly, there was a flash of light next to the vicar, and everyone's breath caught. A microsecond later, a woman clad in Victorian attire was with them on the altar. "Phew," she said, gathering herself. "I'm not late, am I?"

Clara's entire body went numb.  _No. No no no no..._

Stepping toward the teacher, the woman looked at Clara's hand. "Ah, no ring yet. That's going to make this so much easier."

" _Missy_!" came the Doctor's roar as he shot to his feet. "What on Gallifrey do you think you're doing?!"

"We're on Earth, you silly boy," the Time Lady scoffed. She turned to Amy. "Sorry about this, my dear, but I'm afraid Clara and I... " - she snaked an arm around her waist - "... need to talk."

Clara reached out to the woman she loved. " _NO_!"

" _CLARA_... !" Amy tried to grab her hand...

But after another flash of light, Clara and Missy were gone...


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

As soon as she and Missy materialised, Clara was on her knees vomiting for the second time in two hours.

Missy looked down with distaste, though there was more than a touch of concern mixed in. "Was that really necessary, puppy? I told you I've just got my TARDIS back - and you've already made a mess."

Clara did not respond, instead just taking a moment to calm herself. Her stomach stopped heaving and settled down, and she took deep breaths. In the back of her mind she wondered why: teleporting with the Time Lady never gave her that reaction before.

But the overriding thought going through Clara was more primal. Feral, even.

Slowly, the teacher staggered to her feet, unable to stop herself holding onto Missy for support. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

With that, Clara snapped. "Alright?" She turned to Missy with a snarl. " _Alright_... ?" She suddenly whipped her arm out, slapping the Time Lady hard and sending her to the floor. " _You BITCH_!  _You MONSTER_!"

Missy climbed to her own feet, holding her jaw. "That... that actually hurt. Amazing."

" _How COULD YOU_?!" screamed Clara, tears pouring down her face. "This is  _my WEDDING DAY_!  _MY WEDDING DAY_! I didn't think  _even YOU would_... !"

Missy approached the young woman, hands in the air in both supplication and defense. "Clara, please, calm down... "

" _CALM DOWN_?!" All Clara could see was red.

"I had to do it," offered Missy. "I had to stop you from making a huge mistake... "

"A  _MISTAKE_?!" Clara bellowed. She looked at Missy incredulously. "That's it - I'm going to kill you. I'm going to  _kill you RIGHT NOW_... !"

"Poppet, please!" Missy looked downright upset. "Don't get excited. Not in your condition!"

That made Clara pause. He scowl lifted only ever so slightly, but her words were still dripping with venom. "My condition? What the hell are you talking about?"

To the teacher's surprise, Missy actually appeared timid. The Time Lady bowed her head and bit her lip. As she backed away from Clara, she stammered over her words. "Um, how can I put this? Thing is... er... "

Clara's brief moment of subdued rage was rapidly diminishing. " _What_? Come on - out with it!"

Missy's face nearly broke, and she began darting her eyes around the control room. "Well, you see... I might've... er... made a  _teeny tiny_  error when I was examining you after we were attacked by the Moroks." She emphasised her words by pinching the air with her fingers.

Clara's blood instantly froze. She knew it - she  _knew_  something was wrong! She  _knew_  there would be repercussions of the Moroks' injection. But... how? She and Missy exhaustively went through every medical report. "What kind of ' _error_ '?"

"Just a small one," insisted Missy. "I'm afraid that even I'm not infallible - especially when it comes to you, my dear. You just have this effect on me that... "

" _Missy_... " Clara's tone gave the message she was in no need for procrastination.

Missy tugged at the collar of her tight Victorian top. "Is it me or is it hot in here?" When Clara made a step towards her the Time Lady instantly backed another step away. "It's not my fault! It's the Moroks - the bloody idiots! They must've got their super-secret science briefcases mixed up!"

"Stop talking in circles and fucking  _TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED_!" roared Clara.

"There was one set of reports I, well, didn't think to check," explained Missy, embarrassment on her face. "But it wasn't until I was cleaning up and I went back to that briefcase that I realised what exactly it was. So I went back to the reports - the ones I neglected to check before, you see," - as she talked, Missy picked up a small pile of paperwork on her control console - "and... " She paused.

Clara shook her head in exasperation. " _And_... ?"

Missy looked pained. "How best to say it? Well, y'see, um... Clara, you're... pregnant."

Clara just glared at her. She must have finally gone insane, because there was no way Missy just said what Clara thought she did. There was  _no way_. Absolutely none. Right... ? "Pregnant?" Her voice was now tiny.

"Poppet, I'm so... "

"That's impossible," blurted out the teacher. "You can't expect me to believe that."  _Please_ , let this be another of the Time Lady's lies...

"I'm afraid it's true, my angel." Missy gave her a sympathetic look as she stepped closer to the teacher, before handing her the pile of notes. "I have many... exotic sciencey-type things myself, and it seems the Moroks got theirs confused with one of mine. In this case, a, er, case of... samples. DNA samples." Missy then grimaced. "Reproductive samples, if you catch my drift."

Clara just stared at the sheets in her hand. They were indeed more medical reports, only this time of her womb. The ones she inspected earlier only focused on her stomach, that being the place the Moroks injected her. These reports certainly seemed legitimate, however, and if they were, then Clara was indeed...

Her hands began shaking, causing the notes to shake with them. "This... this can't be happening." She could not even feel the tears tricking down her face.

"I'm afraid it is, Clara," came Missy's soft voice... as soft as when she seduced the teacher. "You... that is,  _we_... are going to have a baby."

Clara's neck nearly broke at the speed she whipped her head back up. " _We_?!"

Missy suddenly looked like a dear in the headlights. "Oh, yes... I hadn't got to that part yet, had I? Er, yes... the samples were... " - she smiled apologetically - "... well,  _mine_."

That was it. Clara's mind could officially take no more. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and everything went black once more...


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

To say Amy was a tad hysterical would be an understatement. "Where are they?  _Where's Clara_?!"

The Doctor kept his gaze on his control console as he spoke. "I'm looking Pond! Or do you think I'm just fiddling with these knobs for fun?"

Amy held her head in her hands as she struggled keeping the tears at bay. It was all getting too much for her. This week had been a fucking nightmare. And what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, instead turned into the pinnacle of that nightmare.

Yes, this was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.  _Finally_ , after everything they went through, all the obstacles and near-death experiences, all the stress and worry - most of which occurred during this dreadful week - Amy Pond was  _at last_  going to marry the woman she adored. But just as they were about to be made official, Clara was taken from her, yet again. It indeed seemed the universe was conspiring against Amy. She was unsure how much more she could take. "Doctor, please... tell me you have something." Her own voice sounded pathetic to her.

"Missy's little transport device is quite sophisticated," the Time Lord responded. "It seems the TARDIS is having trouble homing in on its signature."

"Fucking TARDIS!" blurted the Scot. "This would never have happened if it was doing what it's supposed to!" Logically, that made no sense whatsoever - Clara's problems with the time machine had nothing to do with Missy, after all - but right now, Amy needed something to vent at.

"Hey!" The Doctor darted his head to her. "It's not the old girl's fault, you know."

"This fucking box has had it in for Clara since day one!" yelped Amy. "Always messing her around, getting her lost - and for the past week it hasn't even let Clara  _in_!"

The hurt on the Doctor's face increased. "I told you, I've been trying to work out what's going on with that. What do you think I've been while you were planning your wedding?"

Amy let out her sob. Her wedding. Why could they not have it? Why did she and Clara have be denied at every turn? Why did they have to fight for  _everything_? "This is it," she seethed. "After this, no more. I'm going to get Clara back, and we're  _done_  with this.  _All of it_." She was more talking to herself than the Time Lord beside her.

"Look Amy," he said, "let's just focus on finding them first, yes?"

"What does Missy want with her?" whined the Scot. "Why can't she just leave us alone?" She knew the Time Lady had a "thing" for Clara. That was obvious the moment Missy forced herself on the teacher at the 3W. And Amy was an absolute wreck when Missy abducted Clara at that cafe, and flabbergasted to learn, upon Clara's return, they went to Skaro. Clearly, Missy was trying to hurt the Doctor through his friends, and for whatever reason, focused her attention on Amy's fiancee. "I'm going to kill her," she spat. "I'm going to make sure she never interferes in our lives again. She crossed the line at stealing my wife."

The Doctor raised a bushy brow. "Technically, you didn't get to that part."

"Don't start." Amy pointed a finger right in his face. "Don't you  _even_." She let out a deep, sorrowful sigh. "Oh God... what am I gonna do? How... how am I gonna  _explain_  this to everyone? Missy just pops up out of nowhere and disappears with Clara! The vicar thinks he's experienced a second coming or something!"

"If he thinks Missy's the second coming," said the Doctor with a visible shudder, "he's gravely mistaken."

"And our families," breathed the Scot. "What do  _they_  think they saw?" Frankly, neither Amy nor Clara really intended to tell their loved ones about the secret lives they lived through time and space. It just was not worth the hassle. But  _now_? Heaven only knew what Rory was doing at the moment, trying to explain away what happened at the chapel.

"Amy, I promise, that'll all be fine," soothed the Time Lord. "If worst comes to worst, I'll wipe their memories of it."

She blinked. "You can do that?"

"Not something I like doing, I assure you," the Doctor said. "Telepathy is one thing, but outright tampering with minds?" The distaste in his tone was clear. "But if I have to, I will. For you and Clara."

The Scot smiled slightly. "Thank you." She absently wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm... sorry for what I said. About the TARDIS." Was she? Probably not. Still...

"It's OK, Am... " The Doctor stopped at the alert buzzer on his control console. A grin crept onto his face. "Got them."


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

Clara was not out for long. She was also quick to regain her strength, which she was currently focusing entirely in her fists, and pummelling her captor into the floor.

"Po... popp... poppet...  _Clara_ , please stop... hitting me!" Missy was on her knees, hands held up trying desperately to block the assault. "It's really painful!"

That only spurred Clara on. " _SHUT UP_! Just  _SHUT UP_! You've  _RUINED MY LIFE_!" Tears were streaming down her face, eyes closed in absolute agony. Her wedding dress was all creased and dirty, and even torn around the train's edge. It symbolised the happiest day of her life being destroyed by the worst news she ever heard.

She could not believe it. To learn one was pregnant should be a joyous occasion, something Clara secretly hoped she and Amy would get to sooner rather than later. But  _this_? This was a nightmare.

It had to be lie. She could not be expecting a baby. Not  _Missy's_  baby. How was that even possible? It had to be another of the Time Lady's lies. It  _had to be_.  _Please_.

As she continued raining down on the Gallifreyan, Clara screamed until her throat was sore. " _You've RUINED EVERYTHING_!  _YOU'VE DESTROYED ME_!  _I'LL KILL YOU_!"

"I'm not the...  _ow_!... one who put a needle in...  _shit_!... you!" Missy struggled through punches.

"I said  _SHUT UP_!" The teacher ignored the bruises forming on her knuckles. In truth, her punches were having little effect on Missy; Gallifreyans were more durable to physical punishment than Humans. But Clara was understandably beyond remembering that now. "It's your fault I was even  _here in the first place_! If you just  _LEFT ME ALONE none of this would've happened_!"

"If I remember -  _ouch_! - correctly, you're the one who -  _dammit_! - insisted we took things to the bedroo... "

Another hard slap stopped the Time Lady trap, and Clara's accompanying bellow would have been heard in the vacuum of space. " _SHUT UP_!" She then paused her attack and grasped the Time Lady by the lapels of her Victorian jacket. " _HOW_?  _How did it happen_?! What did they  _do to me_?!"

Missy took a moment to breathe, now the punching ceased. "First you tell me to shut up... now you tell me to explain everything. Really, puppy... you need to start making up your mind. Especially as you're going to be a mo... "

" _No I'm not_!" Clara released Missy's lapels - making the Gallifreyan's head bounce onto the control room floor with a smack - and strode over to the medical papers scattered on the floor. "I'm not!" She then picked a bunch of them up and literally tore them apart. " _I'm not_! These  _can't be real_!  _They're wrong_!  _I CAN'T BE PREGNANT_!"

However, almost in the blink of an eye, all strength left her and she suddenly felt weak. Clara let out a deep sob as freash tears trickled down; this was the worst moment of her life. She felt utterly helpless. She put a hand to her head as she sank to her knees amidst the medical reports, now nothing more than shreds of paper. Clara cried deeply, even as she put her other hand to her stomach. When she spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper. "I can't... "

There was silence for a moment, as Missy slowly staggered to her feet, holding the back of her head and checking for blood on her face, which was completely unblemished. "I'm... sorry, Clara. But you are."

Clara drooped her head, unable to look at the Time Lady. "H... how... ?" Again, her tone was pathetic to her.

"Like I said," huffed Missy, "the stupid Moroks got their science box confused with one of mine. They thought they were infecting you with some type of virus, when in fact they were... well, inseminating you."

Clara could only shake her head. Her voice was equally as shaky. "How... w... why? Why... would you have... that stuff... ?"

Missy frowned, then nodded as she seemed to comprehend. "Oh, you mean the reproductive samples? Well, I collected it ages ago, dear. To be honest, I can't really tell you why. Believe it or not, but some of my... past selves... were quite eccentric. Whatever the reason, at sometime I must've felt it important to stock up. In case I - I don't know - needed heirs in an emergency. Or something." As the Time Lady talked, Clara gradually turned her head to just glare at her. By the time she was finished, Missy simply shrugged, a worried grin on her face.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Clara shook her head, as she continued silently crying. "No... no... doesn't... doesn't make sense... it was... just an inject... " She stopped, unable to continue.

"That's 86th century technology for you," said Missy. "I took it from some planet about to explode. Can't remember the name... began with a 'C'. Or was it a 'K'?" She shrugged again, now more casually. "Anyway, they were quite a sterile people - pardon the pun - and really, really boring. 'Repressed' wouldn't begin to describe them. But at least they found a way to reproduce without the need for all of that icky stuff. Just a simple injection in the abdominal area and Bob's your uncle." She then appeared in thought. "Or son, in this case."

Clara buried her face in her hands. "This can't be happening... this can't be happening... "

"Don't worry, it won't," said Missy. "There's no way any son of mine will be named Bob."

At that, Clara's face contorted into pure fury again. "You think this is a  _joke_... ?" She staggered to her feet, prepared to do more bodily harm, when suddenly a now-familiar sound filled the control room.

"Oh for crying out loud, not again," Missy groaned at the security alarm. "What is it now?" She glanced at the console screens and actually brightened at the readings. "Oh, it's OK. It's just our mutual friend. Nothing to worry about."

To her own surprise, Clara's mouth quirked ever so slightly up. "Nothing to worry about? Amy will be with him."

Missy's smug expression instantly dropped, and for the first time Clara could remember, the Time Lady actually looked scared...


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

True to form, the Doctor's TARDIS was not entirely accurate in its landing on the unknown planet with purple grass and green sky. Meaning, it materialised about a mile from Missy's time machine. Part of Clara wanted to insist the Time Lady move her ship closer, but a bigger part of her just wanted to be free. She would gladly walk 100 miles if it meant getting away from her captor, and back to Amy.

But... what would Clara do once she found the Scot? She could not stay quiet any longer; there was no way she could keep a  _pregnancy_  from Amy. Clara knew she had to at last come clean. And when she told Amy she was pregnant, Amy would demand to know how it happened - how Clara got to be in the position in the first place. And Clara would have to tell her. Everything.

That broke Clara's heart. Because she knew, once Amy discovered what the teacher did, that would be the end. There was no way Amy would forgive her. After all, Clara would never forgive  _herself_.

But that still did not slow Clara down. As much as she knew she was heading for her own downfall, the teacher just wanted to see Amy, to touch her and hold her. Even if it was for the last time.

"Slow down, puppy," huffed Missy, who was puffing behind her, struggling to keep up. "I should've brought the bloody lead with me." Clara was oblivious to the Time Lady's grumbling: once she caught sight of Amy and the Doctor in the distance, nothing else mattered.

Holding the sides of her dishevelled wedding train higher, Clara marathoned towards the two most important people in her life, even as Amy quickened her own steps. It was both an eternity and an instant until they finally reached eachother.

Any intentions Clara had of being strong and holding her head high, however, vanished as soon as she was within arm's reach. She threw herself at Amy, holding the Scot tight and bursting into tears. Burying her face in her lover's chest, Clara's voice became a mixture of a whine and scream. "Amy!  _Amy Amy Amy_!"

The Scot tightened their embrace, crying herself. During her and the Doctor's search for Missy's TARDIS, she changed out of her own wedding dress - the day was ruined, after all - but Clara, in her distraught state, barely noticed. ""Oh God, Clara!" Amy breathed. "You're safe... oh God, it's alright... I've  _got_  you... !" She planted soft kisses on Clara's crown, who simply continued crying.

Meanwhile, the Doctor stared down his eternal nemesis. "What the hell have you done to her, Missy?" he demanded.

The Time Lady simply rolled her eyes. "We had some very important business to discuss." She then scoffed at the incredulous expressions she got in return. "Oh, don't go giving me evils."

"You... " Amy's voice was a feral growl. " _You_... " She gently yet firmly pulled Clara away from her and placed her in the Doctor's arms, then, before anyone else could do anything, stormed to Missy and sent a fist straight into her smug face. Missy went down like a tonne of bricks, Amy's punch even harder than any of Clara's.

Missy did not even have time for a witty retort, as Amy was ontop of her in seconds, straddling her and locking her hands around the Gallifreyan's throat. " _Too far_!" she roared. " _You've gone TOO FAR this time_!  _I'LL KILL YOU_!"

The Doctor released Clara and went to the two women on the ground. "Amy, don't! Let her go!"

"I'll let this bitch go when she's  _DEAD_!" spat Amy. "And if she regenerates I'll kill her again! Anything to keep her out of our lives for... !" Before she could finish, both Amy and Missy disappeared in a flash of light, the result of the Time Lady's personal transporter.

Clara glared at the now empty spot. " _NO_!  _NOOOOOO_!  _AAAAMY_!" This was getting  _absurd_! First Missy takes  _her_ , now she takes  _Amy_! What  _else_  could happen?!

Perhaps sensing the right state Clara was in, the Doctor went back to her and held her close. "It's OK, Clara. It'll be OK. We'll get her back. But right now, we need to get you safe. We'll go back to the TARDIS."

However, once they reached the police box, the thing that was happening for the past week, once more happened: the ship flatly refused to let Clara in. After several more attempts at getting the doors to accept the teacher, Clara simply gave up and collapsed in a heap infront of it.

The Doctor knelt down and cradled her again. "This has gone far enough." His own voice was like broken glass. "I don't know what's going on with her, but I'll bloody well rip her  _doors_  off to get you inside." He turned and pointed at the blue box. "I  _will_! Don't think I won't, old girl!"

"I can't... " came Clara's tiny voice. "I can't... take anymore... "

Returning his attention to the young woman in his arms, the Doctor visibly calmed. "What happened, Clara? What did Missy do to you?" Clara could feel his eyes boring into her, filled with nothing but concern. "You can tell me, Clara. What's going on?"

Clara could indeed take no more. Even though she knew it would be the end of her, she could not keep it in any longer. Speaking through choked sobs, she simply told the truth. "I slept with her."

Instantly, she felt the hands on her arms tense. Clara's throat caught, and she could feel the man go rigid. Tentatively, she slowly raised her head and looked at him, tears still trickling down her face.

The Doctor's expression was one Clara never saw on him before. He looked at her, bug-eyed, jaw dropped. His brow furrowed and he glared at her, disbelievingly. She could see the abject  _horror_  in his face. Clara felt tiny.

Before either of them could say or do anything else, however, a familiar sound eminated from behind them. The Doctor turned his glazed expression around to see his TARDIS...

... dematerialising. In seconds, it was gone...


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

The flash of light so close to her face momentarily blinded Amy, giving the woman she was currently trying to choke to death the chance to shove her off. The Human fell to the floor in a heap, blinking repeatedly. Meanwhile, the Gallifreyan was rubbing her throat and coughing.

By the time Amy's vision cleared, Missy was on her feet trying to compose herself. Amy took a look at her surroundings and, though never being here before, instinctively knew where she was. The console in the centre of the room was abit of a giveaway, after all.

"Y'know... " wheezed the Time Lady, still stroking her neck, "I think you might've actually left a mark. I'm impressed, ginger."

"Why did you bring me here?" demanded Amy.

"Not my intent, I assure you," sighed Missy. "I was just trying to get away. Believe it or not, but I rather like breathing, and you were interfering in that particular act." She then looked past Amy. "Oh, and I'd watch your footing. That little pile of mess is Clara's. Haven't had time to clean it up, yet."

Amy instantly saw red again and she audibly growled. " _Clara_... " With that, she rushed forward, with plans of resuming where she left off with her hands and her captor's jugular.

However, Missy suddenly held out a small device, noticeably different from her personal transporter. "Not any closer! I'll shoot... you know I will!"

Amy paused at the threat, and knew it was genuine. Missy would blast her to oblivion if she took another step. But part - a  _big_  part - of Amy wanted to ignore the danger and get at the woman again, and finish the job she started.

"You Humans... always so impulsive," tutted Missy. "Still... if you weren't, I wouldn't have had any fun earlier."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Amy had to actively stop herself shaking in anger. "What did you do to Clara? Why can't you just leave us  _alone_?"

"Alone?" Missy tilted her head. "Admit it - I bring excitement to your lives. If it wasn't for me, you'd just live day-to-day, then die in bed or something. It's much more exciting to be sucked into a black hole. Trust me, I know."

Amy simply looked at her. "What  _are_  you talking about?" She then shook her head. "No, y'know what? I don't give a fuck. Just tell me what you've done to Clara."

Missy sighed. "Clara, Clara, Clara. It always comes back to her, doesn't it? Y'know, back in the day the Doctor was the important one. How times change." She smiled sickly. "Still, I can't argue with you. My puppy is certainly... very special."

Amy's teeth gnawed at the sound of the petname. "Don't you  _ever_  call her that.  _Ever_  again. I won't stand for it. Just the idea of...  _you_... talking about her makes me sick."

"Pfft. I suppose you have better terms of endearment, do you?" Missy rolled her eyes. "Let me guess: 'darling', 'love', 'sweetheart'? How very cliche."

"You wanna know what I call  _you_?" asked Amy through grit teeth.

Visibly intrigued, Missy nodded. "Do tell, little one."

" _Monster_ ," Amy snarled. "Degraded. Evil.  _Sick_."

"Ooh, you're making me blush."

On a role, Amy could not stop. "You go around destroying people's lives... for what? Fun? Attention? Do you even  _realise_  what you've done today? You  _ruined_  my wedding. The happiest day of my life... I was going to marry the woman I love... and  _you_  got in the way. Like you  _always_  do.  _Why_?!  _Why did you do it_?!""

Another eye-roll. "So dramatic. I really don't see the problem. After all, you have a back-up."

Amy blinked. "A what?"

Missy shrugged. "Whatshisname. Worry. Warry. No, wait...  _Rory_. That's it." She grinned satisfactorily. "You can just go back to him."

"Back to Rory?" Amy simply shook her head, unable to escape a chuckle. "You really have no idea how love works, do you? I could never go back to Rory. I love  _Clara_ , and she loves me."

Surprisingly, Missy nodded again. "OK, you've convinced me. I'll take you back to her."

What the hell was going on? Missy was all over the place. "Take me back to her? Now I've heard everything."

"I will, I promise," said Missy. "You know I don't mean any of you any harm. I just want us all to be friends. The Doctor  _is_  my  _best_  friend, after all."

"Oh my God... " Amy began rubbing her temples. "You're even more deluded that I thought. After all you've done to us, how could we  _possibly_  be friends? No one in their right mind would ever trust you - I don't, and the Doctor  _certainly_  doesn't."

"You don't know know him like I do," Missy waved off.

"I can tell you one thing," Amy continued. "The Doctor thinks he knows  _you_. But I know now that he doesn't.  _I_  can truly see how twisted and warped you are. You've hounded us for over a year... the Doctor for longer... yet he actually sees some good in you. He thinks you can still come around. He's actually  _disappointed_  in you. But I look into your eyes, and I can see you don't deserve it. You can  _never_  be trusted."

Missy was silent; Amy was impressed. She actually managed to apparently shake up the Time Lady. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

Visibly taken aback, Missy bit her lip. "Well... that's a... shame you feel that way. Must be hard, being so distrusting. I hope you never teach that to your children."

Amy actually laughed incredulously. " _Children_  now? Oh my... you really are insane. You'll say anything, won't you? Anything to get the advantage. You think you can manipulate me? Think again. After this, it's all over. Because with everything you've done, despite all the awful things the Doctor's told us about, there's one thing that tops them all."

Missy narrowed her eyes.

"You took Clara from me, on our wedding day," Amy spat resolutely. "You tried to take our life together away from us. And for that, when I get the chance, I  _will_  kill you."

Missy was quiet for a moment. The atmosphere was tense as the two women stared eachother, an apparent stalemate reached.

But when Missy brought out her personal transporter with her other hand, Amy frowned. "Well, I think we're done here. You can just toodle on off now."

"W... what?"

"My vortex manipulator records the biosignature of anyone it teleports. I don't need to be in physical contact anymore." Missy's mouth quirked up. "Ta-ta."

Before Amy could do anything else, Missy pressed a button, and the Human was gone.

Missy clicked her teeth. "I have work to do... "


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

Clara did not even know why she was surprised the TARDIS disappeared. It seemed only the natural thing for it to do, given how the machine had been acting the past week or so.

Still on her knees on the purple grass, Amy looked up to see the Doctor simply gazing at the space previously occupied by the police box. "W... what... what just happened?" he babbled.

Clara was silent, instead just ducking her head back down. Frankly, a massive part of her was actually glad the blasted thing was gone. Completely illogical though it was, the TARDIS was frankly the last place she wanted to be now. The thing was nothing but a - well,  _bitch_  - since this whole mess started. Not letting Clara in, after everything she, Amy and the Doctor did? Letting  _Amy_  in but not her? And now, with the teacher an emotional wreck, and Missy bloody  _abducting_  the love of her life, the time machine does the unthinkable and leaves without even the Doctor! Clara was not even aware it could  _do_  that.

Evidently however, the Time Lord was aware. "Not again!" he bellowed. "What's happened this time?!" He began gesticulating wildly at the empty air. "Come back this instant! This isn't funny! First you deny Clara entry and now  _this_! I won't have it, do you hear me? I know you  _can_! I know perfectly well that you can hear me eventhough you're not here!"

Maybe everyone was right, Clara mused. Maybe the Doctor  _was_  mad. But soon, if things did not settle now,  _she_  would be the one going mad. Clara was at the end of her rope, her mind near breaking point.

Giving up his screaming, the Doctor looked out over the horizon. "Come on, old girl... we need you. I need you."

"I need Amy... "

The old man turned back at Clara's whisper, who was again burying her face in her hands. She indeed wanted Amy. That was all she wanted now. She just wanted to be back home with the woman she loved, free from all this. She wanted to pretend this past week never happened, and just get on with planning her future with the Scot, free from monsters, aliens and all this madness. Clara just wanted it all to be over.

But it would  _never_  be over, she knew. After what Missy told her, after learning the state her body was in... it was just the beginning.

"Clara, I... I don't know what to say," soothed the Doctor. "It's been a long time since the TARDIS has done this kind of thing. Often it's because there's some danger nearby... but I can't understand why she would up and go now. I don't... "

" _I don't care_!" yelped Clara, taking the Gallifreyan aback. "I don't care about your stupid police box! I just want  _Amy_! Missy took her and I  _need her back_!"

"Missy... " With that, the Doctor's face darkened. "Clara, what you said... "

Clara choked back tears. "Oh God... "

"You... did you really... ?" He sounded appalled.

Clara knew she had to let it out. Maybe if she told  _him_  first, it would be easier when... "I... I don't know why... why we... I... just... couldn't stop... oh God... what... what have I done? I've ruined  _everything_... "

"How did it happen?" he asked softly. "I mean... er, don't give me all the details, but... "

Clara tried wiping the tears from her eyes, to no avail. "I was... so angry... angry at... Amy... and then... she just turned... up... and... and... oh  _God_... "

The Doctor remained silent, instead simply - though hesitantly - putting his arms back around her.

"My life is... over... " whimpered Clara. "She'll leave me... she'll never forgive me... I'll lose her... " She broke down, saying the words out loud almost crippling her. "I can't lose her... I... I love her...  _so much_... I just want... want this all to go away... "

"Clara, it's not as easy as... "

"Why can't we be happy?" Clara's voice was pathetic. "Why can't... can't I have... my happily-ever-after?" She knew why: she did not deserve it. She betrayed the most important person to ever enter her life. And for what? Sex? Excitement? To feel wanted? None of that mattered to Clara anymore. "I just want to be with Amy... but I can't... not now... " Not with what was currently growing in her stomach.

God... she had not even gotten to  _that_  yet...

Silence reigned for awhile, the two friends trying to find comfort in their contact. When the Doctor spoke next, his tone was no longer halting, no longer swimming in shock. Instead his words now carried steely determination. "You will, Clara. I promise you. Before this is all said and done, you and Amy will be back together. I'll make sure of it."

Slowly, she looked up, eyes red from her pain. In answer to her unspoken question, the Doctor sighed sadly. "I've had my fill of unhappy endings."

Closing her eyes as fresh tears fell, Clara tried taking a deep breath. "Oh Doctor... how else can it end? I... I slept with Missy." She then moved a hand to her tummy. "And... I'm... "

"Clara?"

Clara's blood froze. No.  _No_. Not like  _this_.

She slowly turned her head, to see Amy looking confusingly at her...


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

Clara and the Doctor looked up from their huddled position on the purple grass, at the slightly-bewildered expression on Amy's face. No shit she was bewildered - Clara just said out loud what committed with Missy, and Amy returned in time to hear her.

This was it. Clara's life was going to end. The person she loved more than anyone else now knew what she did. Amy was going to do one of two things: either breakup with the teacher, or flatout kill her.

Because there was no way Amy would forgive her. Clara would never forgive  _herself_.

The Doctor too seemed to sense what was about to happen, as he both tightened his grip on Clara in protection, and shifted slightly to rise them to their feet. However, in a surprise to them both, Amy suddenly rushed over to them, nothing but concern on her beautiful face. "What happened? Are you alright?!" Reaching the pair, Amy dove onto her knees and wrapped her own arms around her fiancee. "Are you hurt? Talk to me, please, what... " She then paused, as her eyes trailed up to look past her friends. "Where's the TARDIS?"

Clara simply glared at her in disbelief. This was not the reaction she expected. "Amy... what... how long were you standing there?"

"Literally about a second," Amy replied. "That bitch took me to her own TARDIS, we had abit of a chat - she was talking absolute bollocks as always - then she popped me back here." She frowned. "It's OK, Clara, I'm fine. I promise."

There was nothing but loving concern in the Scot's eyes. Clara realised Amy  _missed_  the teacher's declaration about her and Missy. There was no way Amy would be acting the way she was if she heard. It made sense, after all - the Time Lady's vortex manipulator always left Humans slightly frazzled for a second or two. Clara's words must have been uttered in the split second Amy materialised and her senses were too preoccupied with the bright flash of Missy's device.

Clara momentarily felt a massive weight lift off her shoulders: she had a reprieve. But her shoulders soon sagged again, as she knew it was only temporary. She still had to tell Amy. She simply  _had_  to admit to what she did. With what was now happening in her womb, what else  _could_  Clara do?

Before anything else could be said or done, the air was filled with the grinding noise all three knew very well. The trio turned their attention to see the blue police box return in the exact same spot it occupied just minutes before.

" _Right_ ," said the Doctor's voice, his voice like ice. "Time to sort this out." Releasing Clara fully into Amy's embrace, he got to his feet and stormed towards the TARDIS. "You two stay here. I won't be long."

"Stay here?" yelped Amy as she brought her and Clara up off the ground. "You can't be serious. There's no way we're standing out here like lemons. Clara needs to lie down."

"We all do," said Clara. Why was she making demands? What right did she have? Why was she just delaying the inevitable? Did she think Amy would  _just sleep off_  the pain of Clara's adultery after she found out?

But Clara could not help  _but_  delay things. She wanted to stay with Amy, stay in her arms, for as long as possible. To see the pure love in her eyes, before Clara would be forced to kill that love forever.

"Don't argue with me," the Doctor said over his shoulder. "I need to find out what happened with the TARDIS, and  _you_  need to take care of Clara. We all know she won't let her in, and right now Clara needs you."

Amy said something again, but Clara could not hear. Instead, a sudden, all-powerful sentence rushed through her mind.  _"T_ _ell her nothing."_  Clara blinked in confusion, then looked again at the Doctor. The two shared a glance, and the Doctor nodded minutely.

Usually Time Lords needed to be in physical contact to enter minds. The Doctor must have been  _really_  determined for Clara to get that message. But what did he mean? How could she  _not_  tell Amy? Clara did not hope the Scot would just  _fail_  to notice when Clara had a baby, after all!

A baby. Her baby. Her  _and Missy's_  baby. Clara thought she was going to faint again.

Her fiancee's voice broke Clara's agonised musings. "Don't you even think about leaving us out here, you old git. I mean it."

"Take care of Clara," he simply said. When Amy again went to chide him, the Doctor suddenly snapped. "Dammit Pond, just do as I say!  _Please_!" With that, he stepped into the TARDIS, and the doors closed behind him.

Taken aback by their friend's curtness, Amy stared wide-eyed. Clara, meanwhile, just nuzzled closer to her lover... soon-to-be- _former_  lover...

As if sensing the teacher's pain, Amy tore her eyes from the police box and kissed brunette hair. "It's OK, Clara. Everything will be fine. I promise. I'm sure he's just going to, I dunno, reprogram the TARDIS or something so it'll let you in."

"I don't deserve it... " Clara blurted before she could stop herself.

Amy placed a finger under Clara's chin and raised her head slightly until they were eye-to-eye. Clara only saw worry and fear in Amy's beautiful orbs. "What're you talking about?" the Scot whispered. "What do you mean, you don't deserve... ?"

Once again, the moment was interrupted before another word could be spoken. The two women looked to see the blue box make its second arrival in as many minutes. After a few seconds, the doors opened again and the Doctor stepped out. "Please tell me I wasn't long."

"Less than a minute," frowned Amy.

The Time Lord breathed a sigh of relief. " _Finally_ , the old girl does something right. After three days of a solid telling-off, it took a threat to remove 25% of her again before she promised to behave."

"Three days?" muttered Amy. "25%?"

"Well, actually it wasn't me who did it," shrugged the Doctor. "And the circumstances were very different, but...  _look_ , it just doesn't matter right now. Amy, would you mind giving Clara and I a moment?"

Amy instantly grimaced. "Yes, I bloody well  _would_  mind. I'm not leaving Clara for anything." Those words both warmed and chilled the teacher's heart: she was unworthy of such love. Literally.

"Look, Amy," sighed the Doctor. "I've got Rory on call. Can you please go inside and see what he wants... it's probably about your families."

Their families? Clara was confused...  _oh_. No doubt Rory had to try explaining to them what happened at the wedding. "He can wait." Amy stood firm. "I'm staying right here. My place is with Clara."

Oh God. Clara wanted to crawl away and die.

"You know how Rory is," said the Doctor. "He's worried about you. Would you please talk to him... tell him you're alright?"

Finally Amy relented. "Fine." She looked back at Clara and, to the teacher's surprise, kissed her deeply. "This'll all be over soon, sweetheart. When we get home I'll keep you safe, do you hear me? I'll protect you."

Clara's eyes watered. Despite herself, she nodded. She then nearly pouted as Amy broke their embrace and went to the TARDIS. "Whatever it is, don't be long," Amy sternly said to the Doctor. "I'm serious." The Time Lord just nodded in reply.

The Doctor approached Clara, and she noticed he had something in his hands.

What neither of them noticed, however, was Amy never entered the TARDIS. Once more, she disappeared in a flash of light, mere inches from the doors...


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

Clara watched the Doctor intently as he approached. Neither had noticed Amy disappear before she could enter the TARDIS.

Clara frowned as she spied the object in the Time Lord's hands. "What's that?" she asked, nodding to it.

As if caught like a deer in the headlights, the Doctor's body stiffened. "It's, er... how can I put this... " Clara sighed. Often she found her old friend's offbeat manner endearing, but not now: too much had happened recently. Clara was emotionally exhausted.

Perhaps he sensed her lack of patience, as he cleared his throat and closed the distance between them. Now up close, Clara could inspect the object better. It was a small, bronze oval, almost rectangular if not for the curved far ends. There were three overlapping rings engraved on it, and smaller circular etchings throughout. On one end was a hole, where the most detail was carved around. Frankly, it looked like a funky keyring. "It's something that'll take the pain away," he eventually offered.

The teacher frowned. "A painkiller? Doctor, I'm not in any pain... " Unless... did he know about the pregnancy?

"Yes, you are," he simply said, a sad look in his eyes. "I'm sick of failing my friends, of seeing their lives ruined by being with me. And if there's anyone who deserves a happily-ever-after, it's you and Amy."

Clara merely glared at him, bewildered.

"This'll fix things," the Doctor continued. Clara almost got the impression he was trying to convince  _himself_  as much as her.

"Can't we do this later, in the TARDIS?" She paused and closed her eyes as she thought about what she had to do. "I... I have to talk to Amy."

"We should do this now." The Doctor looked away briefly. "Before I lose my nerve... "

"Your nerve... ?"

Darting his gaze back to her, the Time Lord clenched his jaw. "Clara, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do," she said. "Apart from Amy, there's no one else I trust more." Again she felt a sting in her heart: if only  _she_  was as trustworthy. "But Doctor, I don't have time for this. I  _have_  to see Amy."

"Please, just do as I say." He held the object out. "Press here," he instructed, indicating to the end without the hole, which he was still holding.

Yes, he was certainly being his usual eccentric self. Clara really did not feel like indulging him, but if it meant getting back to Amy, then fine. She clasped the object and put her thumb in the middle of the outermost circle. After a lengthy look between them - ending in a reassuring nod from the Doctor - Clara pressed down.

There was a barely-audible whizzing sound, but otherwise nothing else happened. Clara's frown only deepened, but the Doctor just stared at the object. "You can let go now." She did so, and the Time Lord took the device back fully into his hands. "This is for the best, Clara." He looked away, his voice momentarily distant once more. "For the best." Turning back to her, he continued. "Once this is done I'll take you and Amy home, and this will all just be one bad dream for you."

"More like a nightmare," sighed Clara. "I still have to tell Amy... what I did." A sob escaped. "And... oh God... not to mention the baby... "

The Doctor's face instantly dropped. "The what?"

So much for subtlety - but Clara had no time for subtlety now. "In Missy's TARDIS, I was... she had some of her... I mean,  _his_... I mean... I'm guessing when she was a  _he_... some... reproductive samples... and I was injected... with them... " She looked down in shame, unable to meet his no-doubt appalled face. "I mean,  _she_  didn't do it. We were attacked, and... it... God, it doesn't matter. What matters is that... " She closed her eyes tight as she finally voiced the fact, making it real for the first time. "I'm pregnant. With Missy's baby." Drained, Clara looked back up at her friend... and blinked at his expression.

She expected the Doctor to be repulsed, disgusted. But instead, he just looked... dizzy. His eyes were almost rolling into the back of his head, and his body swayed. Clara flinched when the device fell from his hands and dropped to the ground. "Doctor... ?"

When he spoke, his words were slurred, and his breathing getting heavy. "This... this wasn't... supposed to... " He suddenly dropped to one knee, and Clara lowered with him and grabbed his shoulders.

" _Doctor_! What's  _happening_?!" She held onto him as he then fell backwards slowly until he was barely balancing on one elbow on the ground. Clara felt panic like she almost never felt before as she screamed in the direction of the TARDIS. " _AMY_!  _HELP US_!" Amy had to be able to see what was happening outside the police box, and hear Clara's loud cries. Of course, Clara did not know Amy was nowhere near.

"Shouldn't have... shouldn't have... " the Doctor stammered. What was happening? Was he regenerating? Clara glanced at his hands, and saw no golden glow. He glared at her, a crazed yet distant look on his face. "Don't... understand... not supposed to... be this... this... pregnant... baby... ?"

Clara's jaw wobbled. Was that it? Was he just  _that_  shocked?

"Missy... baby... ?"

Tears trickled down Clara's cheeks. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't plan for any of this... I... I've ruined everything... "

"Ruined... every... " The Doctor took one last, almost mournful look at her... then his eyes closed and he collapsed, unconscious.

Clara shook her head violently. " _No_!  _No_ ,  _wake up_! Tell me  _what's happened_!" She looked back up at the TARDIS. "Amy,  _PLEASE_!  _HELP_!" Nothing.

She then heard a small beeping noise, and turned to see the object on the ground next to them. Clara picked it up and looked at it bafflingly.

Suddenly, it exploded in her face. It did no harm, but it was just big and surprising enough to force her kneeling body backwards, and she smacked the back of her head on the ground.

Yet again, everything went black...


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

When Clara awoke she instantly knew she was moving. Yet she also felt no ground beneath her, meaning she was either flying or being carried. As her vision cleared she saw a purple corsetted chest less than an inch from her nose, and realised it was the latter.

"You're awake," Missy soothed. "I was beginning to worry."

Clara blinked as she craned her head to take in her situation. She was being carried, bridal style by the Time Lady. And she could guess where to. "What happened?"

"I saw you and the Doctor lying outside his worthless box," huffed Missy. "There was a broken neural blocker by you. I'm guessing it blew up and knocked you both for a loop?"

"No, just... " Clara stopped and frowned. "Is he alright?" A chill went down Clara's cradled spine. "If you killed him... "

"Clara, you wound me again." Missy looked hurt, and Clara honestly did not know if it was genuine or not. It could not be, surely. "He's my best friend."

Yes, definitely not genuine. "If he's your best friend, why did you just leave him? 'Cos I'm guessing that's what you did."

The Time Lady smiled, and it actually looked warm. "I don't have super-strength, my dear. Or multiple arms. I had to choose, and... well, he may be my best friend, but I'm not in love with him."

Clara gulped. Missy just looked at her, letting the words sink in. Was Clara's heart racing? "I... put me down."

Missy's eyes widened. "How can you say such a thing? You're taking my 'puppy' naming a tad literally, Clara."

"What?" Clara then shook her head as realisation struck her. "No, just stop. Stop! As in... stop walking and let go of me!" She began slapping Missy's arm with a free hand.

"Yes, definitely too literally," grumbled Missy, as she reluctantly released the teacher from her fetal position and deposited her gently on her feet on the ground. "Stop pawing, for Gallifrey's sake."

"I wasn't pawing, you crazy bitch," snapped Clara.

Missy smiled smugly. "Not the type of pawing I'd  _like_  you to do, anyway."

Another shake of the head and Clara lifted the sides of her train. By this stage, her wedding dress was a shambles; dirty, frayed and outright torn. She cringed at the twisted sight she must have been while being carried by the Doctor's archenemy. At that thought, Clara stifled a sob. Missy seemed to sense what she was upset about. "I can get you a change of clothing in my TARDIS."

"There's no way I'm going back there,  _ever_." Clara turned to the Time Lady, jaw clenched. "Unless it's to remove this baby."

"Remove... ?" Missy's brow furrowed in confusion. "Oh, you mean... well, I'm afraid that's not an option. Gallifreyan pregnancies can't be aborted." She sighed. "Clara, I swear. My world might be highly-advanced - no matter the time period - but that's one thing we've never been able to do. Our race is just too resiliant, even in the fetal stage."

Clara's heart was breaking at the words. She tried stifling the tears even as she spoke. "You better damn well be lying... there's no way that  _we_  are having a baby!"

"You think I  _wanted_  this, Clara?" Missy snarled, her calm demeanour suddenly gone. "I have far better things to do than raise a child, I'll have you know."

Clara looked at her incredulously. "You had your own... stuff... preserved in storage."

Missy rolled her eyes. "Doesn't mean I had any immediate plans to have a family! Believe it or not, poppet, but my life doesn't revolve around you. Anyway, don't blame me - blame those cretinous Moroks for not knowing what their own bloody science experiment looks like!"

The tears finally trickling, Clara gritted her teeth. "I don't have time for this. I need to go back and help the Doctor. Then  _he'll_  fix this."

"Oh, you think?" Missy gave an outright- _aggressive_  chuckle. "You think he'll succeed where literally-billions of years worth of Gallifreyan scientists have failed? You think he's so perfect? Do he even tell you what a neural blocker  _is_?"

Had Clara been in a calmer mood, she would have realised Missy was referring to the device the Time Lord made her use earlier, and which blew up in her face. But right now, she frankly did not care. "If you honestly think I'll choose you over him, let alone Amy, then you're utterly... "

" _Hands up_!"

Both women turned their heads at the voice, to see a cloaked figure a few feet from them, a futuristic pistol pointed in their direction.

Missy looked flabbergasted. "The hell... ?" Clara, meanwhile, had trouble breathing. What was  _this_  now... ? "Who are you?" the Time Lady demanded. "I thought this planet was uninhabited." Shen then glanced at Clara. "What planet  _is_  this, again?" Clara just shook her head in disbelief.

"That doesn't matter," the person said in a male voice. He then pointed his weapon at Clara.

"Ohhh,  _big mistake_." Missy sidestepped and put herself infront of Clara, much to the latter's surprise. "You definitely do  _not_  want to threaten this woman when I'm around."

Clara could only glare at the back of Missy. What was the Gallifreyan doing? Again, the concern looked and sounded so genuine... but Clara knew the Time Lady cared for nothing and no one but herself. Right... ?

The unknown man paused, as if unsure what to do. "Is this your first hold-up?" mocked Missy. "I could give you some pointers, if you just put the gun down... "

"I can't," the figure eventually said, almost sadly. He then fired...

The laser hit Missy square in the chest. The force knocked the Time Lady backwards into Clara's arms. "No!" yelled the Human. She followed Missy down as she crumbled to the ground. Clara felt her heart torn, and her mind reeling. What was going on?!

She watched as the mystery man backing away, unsure what to do. Missy however, despite what happened, took advantage of the pause; she managed to raise her arm, disrupter in hand, and return fire. In a flash of energy, the figure was gone - vaporised on the spot.

Clara just clapped her mouth open and shut, unable to form a coherent sentence. "I... I... "

"Clara... " She looked down to see Missy weakly trying to stay conscious...


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

The doors opened and the two women stumbled into the TARDIS, one being supported by the other. Clara was exhausted, frankly: Missy was far heavier than she looked, and hardly helped in the walk back to the time machine. Still, the Time Lady  _had_  just been shot.

"We're back," the Human huffed; the quicker she could get Missy to the medibay the better. Not for the Gallifreyan's sake, of course. Clara did not want to spend a second in this TARDIS more than she needed to. But after what happened, she felt she had to help Missy. "Which way?"

"You... don't remember... ?" gasped Missy, arm over Clara's shoulder, while the teacher held her as best she could by the waist.

"I don't really get on with TARDIS'," Clara admitted. "Besides, I wasn't really paying attention the last time I was here. I had... um, other things on my mind."

Despite the pain, Missy managed a smile. "Even in my state... you're still flirting. You... do love me... "

Clara's face contorted into a deep scowl. "If you want me to help you, I suggest you shut up."

"Puppy... "

The teacher paused their walk. "I'll drop you on the floor and leave you to die. I mean it."

Missy looked broken. "Al... alright... I'm sorry... just please... help... "

Guilt filled Clara's chest. Now was not the time to be a bitch. Despite everything that happened, despite Clara's numerous threats and attacks, Missy still put herself in harm's way for her. She literally took a bullet for her... well, ray blast.

But why? What was the Time Lady's game?  _Was_  it a game? Surely Missy would never go so far to actually risk her life for Clara. But the evidence was right there on Missy's chest: the singe mark on her purple Victorian top. Clara could still smell the slight smoke from it.

Eventually they made it to the medibay, despite Missy's waning directions. Perhaps the TARDIS itself helped. That would be a novelty for Clara, with the Doctor's box always getting her lost. Putting such nonsense to the back of her mind - she was in enemy territory, dammit - Clara dragged an increasingly-immobile Time Lady to the bed. With an almighty heave, complete with some more colourful words, she finally got Missy in a resting position.

"Th... thank you, my angel... " sighed the Gallifreyan. "I don't know if... I would've managed without you... "

"Yeah, well." Clara looked away, averting the obviously-fake adoration in Missy's eyes. "Do you need anything else? You better say 'no'." When she looked back up and saw a hurt expression, she again felt a twinge of guilt. Just a twinge, though. "Sorry." Did she just say that?

Missy smiled warmly. "My sweet Clara... I know you hate me... I don't blame you. I... know you don't believe me... but I'm sorry for what's happened to you... "

Clara just stared at her.

"I'd never... let anything hurt you," the Time Lady continued.

Clara felt torn. She still loathed this woman, but could not ignore what she did, how she protected her. "If you don't want to hurt me, let me go." Missy deserved a  _shred_  of gratitude, so there was no anger in Clara's tone - but that was as much as she could muster.

Sighing again, the Time Lady tilted her head. "Just let me do one last thing... please, take a change of clothes. That dress... does nothing for you now."

Clara held her head in a mixture of exasperation and exhaustion. "OK... but that's it. After that, I'm gone. I can tell that you're not going to regenerate. I've seen it happen - your hand would be glowing by now."

Missy smiled. "My clever poppet... no, I won't change. I just need to rest. It takes more than a crazy wanderer in a hoodie to take me out."

"You shouldn't have killed him," blurted Clara, "no matter who he was."

"He threatened you," Missy said simply. "That was reason enough."

Clara gulped. Missy was all over the place. She was crazy, egomaniacal,  _evil_... but she still saved Clara. Not only on Skaro, but now here also. In fact, almost all Missy's actions regarding her were with her safety in mind. It was bizarre. And despite her accusations earlier, it was  _her_  still flirting despite being hurt.

Deciding to remain silent, Clara simply turned away, but then paused. "Um... your closet?"

"You'll find it," came the sleepy voice. Sure enough, Clara had no problem finding the changing room. Again Missy's TARDIS helped her. And Clara only found that deeply discomforting.

Eventually she returned to the medibay in a grey jumper with white shirt underneath, and black trousers and boots. Clara stuffed her messed-up wedding dress in a bag she found amongst the clothes: there was no way she was dumping that, no matter what. As she stepped back into the medical room, Clara wondered why she did so; there was - hopefully - nothing stopping her just leaving. But for some reason, she could not. She again had to check on the Time Lady's condition.

"I'm feeling better, thanks for asking." Missy's voice was slightly stronger. The attack might not have done any permanent damage, but it certainly knocked the wind out of her. "You look lovely."

Blushing, Clara cleared her throat. "I'm going now. I'm going back to the Doctor, and I'm going to find a way to get rid of this baby. Don't try and stop me."

Missy was quiet a moment, visibly chewing the inside of her mouth. "If that's what you want."

"It is. And I'm sure it's what  _you_  want too."

Chuckling slightly, Missy nodded. "I can't deny that."

"I don't want to see you again," Clara continued resolutely. "Just leave me and Amy alone,  _please_."

Actually looking hurt, Missy seemed to stifle herself, a novelty in itself. "Fine," she eventually said through grit teeth. "Can I... get a kiss goodbye?"

"Oh for fuck's... " Clara shook her head. "You just can't help yourself, can you?"

"Sorry. But... I  _do_  love... "

" _Don't_ ," interrupted Clara, raising a hand. "Or you  _will_  be regenerating." Without waiting for another retort, she turned on her heels and stormed to the exit... only to pause at Missy's tired voice.

"Goodbye, Clara... "

Clenching her jaw, Clara continued out the medibay.

Once she was gone, Missy waited a few moments - then easily hopped off the bed and dashed to the nearest mirror to check her hair and burnt top...


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

A blinding white light... almost heavenlike. That was the last thing he remembered.

Slowly, eyes older than time opened and blinked. Above him was the green sky. For goodness' sake... what planet was he on now?

Taking a deep breath, the Doctor gradually sat up. He was lying on purple grass in the middle of nowhere. For miles around, there was nothing but greenery... er, purplery. The wind seemed to only emphasis the starkness of the place.

He put a hand to his head, which was throbbing like crazy. Closing his eyes again in an attempt to reorganise himself, he continued taking steady breaths. Had he regenerated again? He certainly felt shitty enough. He put a hand to his hair while looking at his other hand infront of him. No, this was definitely the same hand he remembered. Pulling a lock down into a cross-eyed view, he saw his hair was still grey-white.

The Doctor looked at the ground and saw remnants of... what? One solitary piece of  _something_  next to a torn shred of white fabric lay on the grass by his outstretched legs. Unfortunately, they former was too small to be recognisable. All the Time Lord could tell was it was bronze. It seemed to be a tiny fragment of something more, but wherever the rest was, it was not before him. The white cloth, meanwhile, almost immediately got caught in a gust of wind, and he watched as it sailed into the sky, never to be seen again.

What happened? The Doctor tried collecting his thoughts, recalling what led him to this place and position. But... nothing came. He was gobsmacked, frankly: a Time Lord's memory was infallible - honest - but no matter how much he tried, nothing in the immediate past returned to him.

The last thing. Focus on the last thing he recollected. It was... was... something about... the Master? The TARDIS? The... suddenly, he gasped. The TARDIS! He quickly began spinning at the waist, still sitting. His nerves calmed when he saw the blue box behind him. At least the old girl was still there.

But what else? The Doctor's confusion only grew as the time he had to think back to to remember anything grew also. An hour? Nothing. A day? A week? A  _month_? Nada.

Wait! It was not the Master he was remembering - it was Missy. That was right - his nemesis recently regenerated into a female, had he not? Yes, and the  _Mistress_  was only just hounding him and his companion. Or was that companions?

Wait. Hang on. Which was it?

 _Who_  was it?

Not used to such unassuredness, the Doctor stumbled to his feet - had he been drinking that green whiskey again? - and eventually made it into his TARDIS. Something seemed off about the machine, but in the state he was in at the moment, the Doctor was probably just projecting.

"Doctor?"

He stopped at the voice. "Doctor?" it repeated.

A male voice, the Time Lord looked around his control room trying to find it. In his haggared state, he did not realise it was Rory talking from the communications channel on the console. "Hello?" he asked. "Is someone there?"

"Doctor, is Amy there? You said you were going to get her."

His confusion only grew. "A... Amy?"

 _"Amy?"_  came another, now female voice.

 _"Clara?"_  Now a Scottish woman.

 _"My Clara... "_  A different Scottish woman.

The Doctor closed his eyes tight as the names continued in his head.  _Clara. Amy. Clara. Amy. Clara. Amy._

"Stop it... " he seethed, holding his head with both hands. "Stop it!"

_Clara Amy Clara Amy Clara Amy Clara Amy..._

"Be  _quiet_!"

_Clara Clara Clara Clara Clara..._

"Can't...  _think_... !"

_ClaraClaraClaraClaraClaraClaraClaraClaraCLARACLARACLARACLARA..._

Throwing his head back at the ceiling, the Doctor let out a roar of pain." _STOP IIIIIT_!"

Just like that, there was silence, apart from the sound of his own heavy breathing. Everything else was still. The communications channel went dead. The TARDIS console did not even hum in the background.

The Doctor slowly opened his eyes again, and ran his hands through his hair, as if trying to comb his scalp to find any lingering voices. Nothing. Whose were they, anyway? They stimulating... something in his subconscious. But even now, with mere seconds gone, they were disappearing from his mind. Even the names... Clare? Annie?

He needed to recuperate. Clearly, the Master - Missy - did something to him. But his last encounter with him - her - was ages ago, right? And the Doctor was alone... was he not?

Perhaps he needed sometime in the Zero Room.

As the Doctor staggered to the control console and steadied his hands on its surface, far in the depths of the TARDIS, unbeknowst to him, something was happening.

His ship, always in telepathic union with him, was also having troubles. Specifically, in a room with walls adorned with images of past travelling companions, two - one of a young brunette woman, the other a redhead - achingly faded from existence...


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

Finally Clara reached the TARDIS, not even acknowledging the tiredness in her legs or panting of her breath. She sprinted nearly the entire way from Missy's ship, with one goal in mind: getting back to Amy.

Indeed, the inevitable breakup Clara was literally running to simply did not matter at the moment. All the teacher wanted was to see her lover, to touch her, hold her, bury herself in Amy's arms, one last time.

But...  _no_. Something in Clara strengthened. This would not be the last time. She would not  _allow_  it. She was going to beg forgiveness, get on her knees if need be - and Clara knew that probably  _would_  be needed. She was going to swear to never hurt her fiancee again, to never leave her side, always remain faithful and true. Clara was going to devote every second of her very existence to make Amy Pond happy, and rebuild Amy's faith in her once she knew the truth. They were going to get past this. Amy was going to see how truly sorry Clara was, even if it took the rest of their lives.

It was an impossible task. But who better than the Impossible Girl to accomplish it?

Except... it  _was_  impossible. Clara knew that. After all, if she could not forgive  _herself_ , how could she expect Amy to do so? She could not; but at the same time, she could not let herself give into despair. She had to try. Until she heard the words from Amy herself, she knew there was always a chance. Was that not what the Doctor always said?

But again, Clara knew there  _was_  no chance. Not if the Doctor failed to end her pregnancy.

No, she could let herself think that. The Doctor would succeed, just as he always did, and she and Amy would be together forever.

 _Please_...

The sight meeting Clara's eyes brought her out of her pained musings. If asked, she honestly would not be able to say what she was expecting, but... the Doctor was nowhere to be seen. Last the teacher saw, he was lying on the grass just outside the TARDIS. The TARDIS was still there. The Doctor was not.

Was Missy once again lying?  _Did_  she kill him? No... something told Clara he was still alive. Missy treated her dealings with the Doctor like a game, and killing him in the state Clara left him in would be no challenge. He had to still be alive. Clara momentarily wondered if that unknown hooded figure took him, but she and Missy's encounter with that guy was quite far from here. For whatever reason, she doubted that was the case.

No, the Time Lord must have awoken and returned to the police box. Fair enough, as that was where Amy was too - maybe even still talking to Rory. Clara strode to the blue doors, briefly remembering she did not have her copy of the key with her. The last time she was at home she was vomiting in her wedding dress, and obviously did not even think to take the key with her to the wedding itself. Surely now that would not be a problem, though. The Doctor must have fixed the issue with the TARDIS not letting her in.

But to her surprise, the doors stayed closed when Clara approached. Her anger began rising. "You can't be serious." So much for not needing her key. She tried again a couple of times, but the blue doors did not budge. "Come on, you old hag!" she yelped.

" _Clara_... "

Clara's eyes widened at the voice. It was coming from inside the TARDIS. "Amy?" The Scot must have seen her standing outside, but in that case, why were the doors still shut? Why was Clara's would-be-bride speaking through the external speakers? "Amy, let me in. I... I have to talk to you." More like grovel.

"I know... everything."

At that, Clara's blood froze. Oh no. No, please God  _no_.

"What did you do... ?"

Clara could not find her voice. "I... I... " How did Amy know?  _Did_  she hear Clara earlier? Was she just  _pretending_  when she returned from Missy's TARDIS? Or did the Doctor wake up, enter to the police box and tell her? "A... Amy, please... I can explain. Just... please... please let me in."

Nothing. Instead, to the teacher's absolute horror, she heard sobbing through the speakers. It was slightly garbled, but Amy was unmistakably crying. "Amy,  _please_... " choked Clara. "It wasn't my fault." Yes it was. "I can explain... please... " How? How could she explain? If Amy already knew, what more could Clara say? "It was a mistake," she blurted. "I'm so,  _so sorry_. I should've told you... but I... I just... " Tears began trickling down her cheeks. "Please let me in! We can't do this like... like  _this_! I need to see you!"

"For what?" Huh? What did Amy mean by that? Was it not obvious? Or - was it not obvious to  _Clara_? If her would-be bride knew, why  _would_  she want to see the teacher? To just confirm it?

" _Why_?!" Amy suddenly screamed. " _Why did you do it_?! Fun? Attention? Do you even  _realise_  what you've done? You've  _ruined_... " Her voice then crackled into more crying.

There was nothing Clara wanted to do more right now than hack into the TARDIS doors, run into the ship and hold her beloved. "Amy... please," she blubbed. "I'm sorry... I don't know... what happened. I... I just... "

Every gap in Amy's speech was filled with weeping. "I was going to marry the woman I love... and  _you_... you... took... our life together away from us. You took... everything... from me, Clara."

Now Clara just wanted to die. Amy was saying exactly how  _she_  felt; indeed, ever since waking up in Missy's bed, all Clara could think about was how she took Amy's love, her heart, into her hands and crushed them. Then threw them on the ground and stamped on them. Because how else could it be seen? Clara knew she had taken an eternity with the perfect Amy Pond and thrown it away.

"Just the idea of... you and... her... " Clara could hear the utter disgust in Amy's voice. "Degraded.  _Sick_."

Burying her tear-drenched face in her hands, Clara wept loudly. Her body shook in emotional agony. She moved closer to the TARDIS doors, which of course remained motionless. "I... I'm so sorry... please... please forgive me... I'll never... never hurt you again... "

But Amy's voice was unforgiving. "It's all over. After all you've done... how could we  _possibly_... ?" She paused as more sobs escaped. "No one in their right mind would ever trust you - I don't, and the Doctor  _certainly_  doesn't. You don't deserve it. You can  _never_  be trusted."

This was the worst moment of Clara Oswald's life. She hurt the two people who meant the most to her, destroyed the faith they had in her. She felt utterly worthless.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

Clara shook her head as she struggled breathing through sobs. "Amy... please... please don't... "

"And... her...  _children_?" More revulsion in the Scot's tone. "Oh my... you really are insane. I won't stand for it. Just the idea of... it makes me sick."

Clara did not even know why she was surprised Amy knew about that. If the Doctor told her about her sleeping with Missy, then obviously he would have informed her of Clara's condition, too. "I... I'll get rid of it," she said weakly. "The Doctor can find a way... I know he can... " But she knew that was not the point. Even if the fetus was successfully removed, just the knowledge Clara carried  _Missy's_  baby would cloud over Amy forever. It certainly would over Clara.

"Why did you... ?" said Amy, before quickly breaking down again. "No, y'know what? I don't give a fuck. You'll say anything, won't you?"

Yes, Clara would.  _Anything_  to keep Amy Pond.  _Anything_  to not let the greatest thing that ever happened to her slip through her fingers. But the next thing coming through the TARDIS speakers eroded any hope Clara might have left:

"Back to Rory... " Amy struggled through more garbled sobs. "I'm go... ing... back to Rory. He... loves me. And... I... love him."

Something in Clara finally snapped. She stared blankly at the police box, then, almost like an animal, she screamed in pain and threw herself against the doors. " _No no NO_! Amy,  _PLEASE_!" She clawed at the doors, desperately trying to force them open, the impossibility of it happening not even a notion in her broken mind. "I'm  _SORRY_!  _PLEASE_!  _Don't leave me_! I'll make it upto you, I  _PROMISE_!  _PLEASE_... !

"Just... don't you  _ever_  call...  _ever_  again." Amy's tone was rising, no doubt struggling to keep the rage in, and not really succeeding. Clara could almost hear the gnawing of the Scot's teeth. "Leave us  _alone_."

Clara entire body trembled as she gawked at the opaque windows. A few moments passed, then, to her eternal horror, the familiar grinding noises filled the air.

Before she knew it, the TARDIS was gone, and Clara was alone...


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

Amy found it almost painful opening her eyes. As the darkness slowly gave way to rays of light, she let out a mumble, obscured somewhat by her current condition. Once her sight cleared enough and she saw the world was horizontal, she knew she was lying on the ground.

She blinked a few times, then gradually raised her head off the pavement. She struggled to gather her bearings: what was the last thing she remembered? Going into the TARDIS, after being dropped off from Missy's own time machine back to Clara and the Doctor. The crazy old man wanted a moment alone with Amy's beloved, saying something about Rory waiting to talk to her... and when she reluctantly acquiesced, Amy went to the police box.

Only she never entered... no, she was again hit with the bright light of Missy's personal transporter, and once more found herself standing in the bitch's own console room. Then everything went black.

"You're awake," came a sickeningly-familiar voice. "I was beginning to wonder."

Taking a breath, Amy looked up and saw the Time Lady herself standing imperiously before her. It was then the young woman managed to take in her surroundings. It looked like a London street, but it was... off, somehow. Different. Their were relatively few people on the streets - early morning, perhaps? - and those around were mostly wearing cheap coats and bola hats. What few women were visible were dressed very conservatively, in big-rimmed hats themselves. Alot of people were smoking, too, and no one seemed to have a phone... wait, was that a little boy with a bundle of newspapers under his arms?

And the cars... they looked like something out of a black-and-white film. There was relatively-little marking on the roads, and everywhere around there seemed to be a slight fog.

"You look a right sight, you know," said Missy. "Lying down in the middle of the street."

Amy returned her gaze to her tormentor, and noticed a red telephone box behind the Victorian-glad woman. That too looked ancient. "Where... where am I?" Amy slurred. "What did... you do to me?"

"Just a mild sedative," shrugged Missy, checking her nails. "At least I think it was mild. I never know how much you inferior lifeforms can take. How do you feel?"

Something in Amy burnt at those words. "How do I feel... ?" She tried standing up, but could barely get to a kneeling position. "I'll... kill you... "

Missy tutted. "Yes, yes, yes, I'm sure you will." She shook her head. "Anyway, this isn't exactly what I had in mind. But our mutual friend surprised me when I saw him with that neural blocker, and it kind of threw me into a tizzy. I intended to teleport my Clara back to me, but I hit the wrong button and got you instead."

"She's... not...  _yours_... " growled Amy, still trying to stand.

"Uh-huh." A chuckle now. "But it was no real problem - it just moved my timetable a little. I fully intended to pick you up again and bring you here."

Amy did not even care where she was now. She could feel her strength returning by the second, and all she wanted to do was get her hands back around that monstress' neck. "Take me... back... "

"Now why would I do that, deary?" Missy moaned. "After all the effort I took to sedate you before you had a chance to react, keep you hidden away while Clara was changing clothes in my TARDIS, then bring you here to this exact place at this exact time?" She looked at Amy almost compassionately. "Bless, you really are a 'dumb ginger', aren't you?"

Amy managed to get on one foot...

"Besides, you'll like it here," continued the Time Lady. "Your world's history is usually oh-so boring, but this is actually the start of my favourite period of Earth's."

Both feet...

"Speaking of which," mused Missy, holding out her pocket watch. "You might want to find somewhere to get settled. In a few hours you'll be hearing about something rather big happening in Poland."

Even as Amy clenched her fists, she let out a gasp.  _God_...

"Anyhoo," chirped the Time Lady. "I must be off now. And I'm afraid this will be the last time we'll be seeing eachother, my dear. It's been such fun." She turned and almost skipped to the red phone box. She opened its door, but before entering, she turned back to Amy, who was now stalking towards her. Missy grinned wide. "But don't worry about Clara... I'll take  _very_  good care of her."

Her strength returned, Amy flung herself at the red box, just as the door slammed shut...

Amy flew forward... and the TARDIS dematerialised.

Once again on her knees in the middle of the street, Amy choked out breaths.

She was... stranded... in... without...

Amy's whole body trembled. No. No no no  _no no NO_...

Her heart finally broken, she looked up and roared Clara's name to the heavens...


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

"Well... that could've gone better."

Commander Dullos glared up at the Morok lieutenant who spoke, along with the rest of their small team. At least, what was left of it. "Lieutenant... " came the commander's icy voice, "Shut up."

"But sir," the subordinate continued, unwisely ignoring his superior. "We have failed. This was a complete and total failure!"

" _Failure_ ," snapped Dullos, "is not in our vocabulary."

The rest of the Moroks stayed silent. The mouthy officer seemed to make a start again, but another cold glare from his commander stopped him. Another beat passed before Dullos at last filled the silence. "This is just a setback. We will find the woman. We will prove to her and  _everyone_  that no one steals from the Morok Empire and lives."

"She killed two of our number," said another lieutenant, the scientist. "Without any effort. How can we fight someone so powerful?"

Dullos suddenly got to his feet. "You dare question the will of our leaders? Is it not our  _destiny_  to rule the galaxy? Will there not come a day when the Morok Empire will see over all there is? Am I the only one who would still see all bow before us? Am I the only one still committed to the Morok cause?!"

The other soldiers looked down in shame.

"Mark my words," Dullos continued. "We  _will_  find the witch. We will take back what she stole and this... incident... will not even be remembered as a  _footnote_  in history. The Morok Empire will prevail... "

"Not today, sweetie."

All turned to the voice, to see the object of their hatred standing next to a stone pillar. The woman in purple smiled. "Miss me?"

Momentarily stunned, the Moroks just stared in shock. Fittingly, however, it was Dullos first to snap out of it. "You made a big mistake returning... " he began, reaching for his pistol.

"Oh  _please_ ," sighed Missy, who simply raised her vaporiser and shot the weapon out the commander's hand... taking most  _of_  his hand in the process. He screamed in agony as he slumped to his knees, cradling the flaming stump now on the end of his arm. Missy just tutted. "I didn't make that mistake  _once_ , let alone  _twice_."

With that, the other Moroks tried raising their pistols, but Missy was not as "kind" to them as she was to Dullos. Forgoing any reprieve, the Time Lady set her weapon - always set to kill - multiple times. To the untrained eye it appeared she was shooting indiscriminately, barely even looking where she was aiming. But every shot was accurate, on-target and pinpoint. In mere seconds, the entire Morok group was dead, vaporised into ashes.

All but one. Dullos was by now crumpled on the ground, almost in a fetal position, still clutching at his impromptu amputation. Missy slowly strode over to him, the sound of her high heels the only thing in the air apart from the commander's whimpering. She looked down at him in utter contempt, and shook her head. "You cretins. Did you  _really_  think I'd steal something of yours and leave it in plain sight, then return to the scene of the crime mere hours later? Or that you could penetrate my TARDIS unless I  _let_  you?"

Still moaning in agony, Dullos shakily looked up at her. "Why... who... are... ?"

"Lucky for you, you need not know." With a final smirk, Missy fired once more at his head.

Now alone, the Time Lady crinked her neck. "Hard to believe your stupid Empire will actually have a level of success in the future," she muttered to herself. Still, that would not be for a very long time, and never an interest to Missy.

What  _was_  an interest to Missy was exactly what she did all this for in the first place. Or more specifically,  _who_  she did this for.

Taking a moment to enjoy being in the company of vaporised bodies, the Time Lady grinned at her own brilliance. All her plans had come together perfectly. Everything came off swimmingly. And soon, she would have the greatest prize of all.

Missy's mind went back to how amazing all her machinations were. It started not long after she and her Clara were on Skaro. Missy was on another one of her "mini-adventures" when she heard about a substance with the ability to interfere with the workings of TARDIS'. Specifically, if keyed into a specific biosignature, the substance gave off an overriding "warning" to Time Lord time machines, making the ship see whatever biosignature was selected as an extreme threat. In practice, it meant the TARDIS protecting itself whenever the hazardous person got close.

Missy found the substance in question - fashioned as a purple gem and in possession of an unnamed wanderer on a deserted planet near the end of time - tested and proved its legitimacy... and gave it to Clara Oswald in the disguise of a Valentine's gift.

As soon as Clara touched it, she unknowingly became an unrecognisable "extreme threat" to the Doctor's TARDIS, and thus could never enter it again unless her biosignature was erased from the gem. And while Missy removed her own signature from the purple stone, in case she ever needed to get inside the Doctor's woefully-dated ship, she of course had no intention of removing Clara's.

All the Time Lady had to do now was retrieve the gem from Clara's home back in 2015 Earth. The stone had no effect on Missy's own TARDIS, obviously.

The next stage of Missy's grandmaster plan was getting ahold of the fledgling Morok Empire's experimental pathogen weapon. Doing so was ever-so-simple, and she even allowed herself to be momentarily captured, in part to add a little challenge. But again, it was a piece of a bigger picture: by bragging to the Morok commander about how pathetic their weapon was, and how it would not work on  _anyone_ , Gallifreyan or not, the Time Lady planted the idea in Dullos' mind that, if given the chance, he  _would_  test it again.

Which the Morok did when Missy took her and Clara back to the Empire's homeworld and were boarded. The damage the Moroks did to the TARDIS was superficial, but it was worth it: Dullos took the bait and tested the pathogen on the comatose Clara.

Only what they injected into her poppet was not the pathogen, but something else entirely. Missy swapped the contents of the pathogen's casing with her own reproductive samples. It truly was unbelievable the Moroks were so stupid they did not even know what their  _own_  experiment looked like, simply seeing their box and assuming the original contents were still within. It was frankly amazing to Missy how they took the injections with white liquid at face value. Dummies.

Missy had to admit a  _twinge_  of concern when she actually saw Clara unconscious with the needle inside her. She momentarily panicked and worried something was wrong... thankfully, her puppy proved her worth by soon waking.

And  _when_  she woke... that was truly Missy's crowning moment. Indeed, as the following hours passed, she was inwardly overjoyed at seeing the fruits of her planning worked like a charm. The tests on Clara's womb were actually the  _first_  Missy ran, just to make sure the injections worked, but kept them from Clara until the time was right. Which, naturally, was right before her poppet was to marry that "dumb ginger".

Clara's rage was expected, of course, and Missy had to show the proper level of regret and indignance at "not wanting" a child herself. But that was the farthest thing from the truth. Indeed, that was what Missy's  _entire_  plan was built around: getting Clara in a position to be inseminated. And though her puppy could be adorably confused sometimes, Missy knew she might cotton on if Missy  _herself_ injected her. No, it obviously had to be an "accident", and not the Time Lady's fault.

Clara being pregnant was vital. It meant she had a connection to Missy that could not be ignored or forgotten. Despite the sex they had - the amazing, mindblowingly  _wonderful_  sex - Missy now had a grip on her poppet transcending that. Clara was carrying  _her_  baby, and there was nothing she could do about it. Quite, though Missy was again bending the truth interms of Gallifreyan terminations, they  _were_  nevertheless difficult to accomplish. Their race simply was that resilient, even in the womb.

Though if anyone  _could_  accomplish it, it was the Doctor - and Missy herself,  _of course_. And when Missy saw through her TARDIS viewing scanner the Doctor holding a neural blocker, she knew what her "best friend" had in mind - wiping Clara's memory of their coupling - and she had to do something,  _quick_. In her haste, though, Missy accidentally teleported Amy back to her. But it all worked out in the end.

Ah, Amy. How beautifully Missy played  _her_. Taking Clara's fiancee back to her TARDIS - the first time - and masterfully guiding the conversation until Amy said everything the Time Lady needed. It took awhile - two solid days, in fact - but Missy edited Amy's words until they were enough to be convincing to Clara. Interspersing it with her own mock sobs, to help paper over gaps in the editing, Missy then placed the recording in a 150th century automatic intuitive player and hid it among the foliage around the Doctor's TARDIS. Seeming to eminate from the police box itself, the recording worked  _perfectly_.

There was one wild card, however: that hooded gunman. Who was  _that_? Missy genuinely believed the planet they were all on was uninhabited, so was as surprised as Clara when they were interrupted. Even  _more_  surprised when he fired... because it did no damage whatsoever. It was enough to send Missy to the ground, and burn her clothing, but she herself was unharmed.

Still, even then, she saw an opportunity. Deciding to play it up, the Time Lady feigned pain so Clara would have to care for her. And she knew the teacher  _would_ : Clara was too kind and gentle to let Missy die after actively being protected by her. Missy herself had no such burden, of course: just because he was completely ineffectual, did not save the gunman from being killed on the spot. For principle, if nothing else.

But one question still ran through Missy's head: why?  _Why_  did she go to all this trouble? What made her go out of her way to make Clara Oswald hers? And when so many of her plans went... slightly awry... why did  _this_  plan succeed so spectacularly? What made this scheme work? Why was Missy so  _determined_  to make it so?

Was it because, for possibly the first time in her lives, she was motivated by what her hearts desired, rather than ego demanded?

Shaking such ridiculous thoughts from her mind, Missy cleared her throat. It meant nothing. There  _was_  no special reason. It was simply her own genius. It had nothing to do with Clara Oswald's beauty, her purity and perfection. Missy felt nothing special for the Impossible Girl. Certainly not something as puerile and childish as... love.

The Time Lady spun on her heels and went back to her TARDIS. There was one last thing to do, then Clara would be all hers, forever.

Not that Clara meant anything to her. The idea was absurd.

It had to be...


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

Clara did not know how long she knelt on the grass, just a foot from where the TARDIS previously sat. For that matter, she did not know where she even was, or what to do. All she was certain of was that her life over.

Fresh tears poured down her face as Amy's words ran again and again in Clara's head. The woman she loved more than anyone or anything in her life left her. Part of Clara knew the Scot was bound to, once she learnt what the teacher did, but now it actually happened...

Everything was dead to Clara now. She was completely unaware of her surroundings. The gentle breeze in the air, the green sky beginning to darken as this world's day drew to a close, the slight chill coming with the setting of the three suns... none of it registered with Clara's melted thoughts. All she could focus on was what happened, what she just lost.

How could she go on now? What meaning did she have to continue? Without Amy, Clara's life was meaningless. All the arguments they had over wanting to stay with the Doctor, all the moaning Clara did over needing excitement in her life, of wanting "more", now seemed the ramblings of a madwoman. How could she have been so stupid? Why could Clara not see she had everything she could  _possibly_  want already, in the form of Amy Pond? Why did she not realise it until it was too late?

Clara felt a fool. A fool for taking Amy for granted, of giving into Missy's seductive charms, of thinking she could just  _ignore_  the guilt and still marry the woman she adored. Because sooner or later, Amy  _would_  have found out, one way or another.

And even if she did not, Clara had the physical embodiment of her unfaithfulness - not biologically, but just by the fact she was  _with Missy_  - growing in her womb. She was pregnant, through no fault of her own, with the child of the Doctor's mortal enemy. If nothing else ended Clara's relationship with Amy,  _that_  would have.

She prayed she could end the pregnancy, but Missy's words, the way the Time Lady was so vehement - something told Clara it was indeed impossible. And even if it was doable, the most likely person to succeed... abandoned her.

Something else began filling Clara's chest: anger. At the Doctor. Even after what she did, how could the Time Lord just  _leave_  her here? Amy's words were very clear - the Doctor was as disgusted as she was at the situation. Though he seemed to show more concern than anything else when Clara finally admitted to sleeping with Missy, the teacher could still sense the disappointment in his voice. And once he found out she was pregnant - with  _Missy's_  child, no less - that must have been the straw breaking the camel's back.

But... it made no sense. The Doctor would never abandon her on an unknown planet! There had to be more to it. The evidence was right infront of her, however - or rather, it was  _not_. Indeed, even if the Doctor had a change of hearts, the TARDIS would have returned by now, surely. Clara knew the police box did not particularly care for her, but even  _it_  worked properly when it  _had_  to. And the Doctor would insist returning to rescue a lost companion counted as a time it  _had_  to.

Apparently not. As the minutes passed and nothing happened, Clara realised no rescue was coming. The Doctor - possibly even at the urging of Amy - simply left her. On an unknown world, in an unknown time.

No... no, it could not be... it had to be a mistake! After everything they had been through... no matter what Clara did, the Doctor would come for her. Despite the awful,  _awful_  thing she did, the abhorrent act of betrayal she committed, Clara would not be left here. The Doctor had to be returning. He  _had_  to!

Right... ?

"Clara."

Her sobs quieted at the voice behind her, though the tears continued. Of course. She should have known. A silence fell for what seemed a lifetime, before Clara found words, deep from her broken heart. "You told her... didn't you?"

Clearly, Missy did not need explaining who or what Clara was talking about. "I promise you, Clara, I said nothing. I told you that I would never tell her about our... " - a pause - "... meeting... and I meant it. I swear to you that I never said a word."

Still keeping her back to the Time Lady, not even moving from her knees, Clara clenched her jaw. "And I can't believe a word you say."

"Believe what you will, but it's the truth."

Was it? Clara tried thinking things through, as much as her broken mind could. When Amy returned from Missy's TARDIS, she certainly acted none the wiser. The Scot could  _not_  have known what happened, and still be as loving and protecting as she was when she found Clara and the Doctor huddled in comfort, mere moments after Clara admitted to the Time Lord what she did. It simply defied logic: if Missy  _did_  tell Amy, then Amy would have had at it with Clara there and then. No... Missy  _was_  being truthful.

But the only other possibility sent a chill down Clara's all-but-numb spine. As if sensing her thoughts - highly likely, actually - Missy spoke softly. "Did you tell...  _him_?"

Saying nothing, Clara only nodded, closing her eyes in pain.

A beat passed. "I'm sorry, my angel," came the eventual, almost-mournful response. "He... always did have trouble keeping things to himself."

It was true. It had to be.  _The Doctor_  told Amy, not Missy. He woke up, returned to the TARDIS and told Clara's fiancee everything. Clara's dalliance with Missy, and the fact she was carrying the Time Lady's baby. That was why Amy did not leave the box and instead spoke through the external speakers. Clearly, neither she nor the Doctor could stand the mere  _sight_  of Clara anymore.

Clara thought the Doctor would never -  _could_  never - abandon a companion, but was he  _that_  disappointed in her? Was what she did  _that_  unforgivable? A rhetorical question, to be sure, as not only did she utterly believe so herself, but the fact was  _he was gone_ , and she was still here. "How could he do this?" she whispered, finally turning her head to look at Missy, who was standing just infront of her Doric pillar. "How... ?"

Missy appeared nothing but sad. She looked down at Clara's knelt form with pity, but not in a patronising way. She seemed genuinely regretful. Once more Clara was completely confused by the Time Lady. She knew Missy was cruel, narcissistic and megalomaniacal. But, aside from her usual abrupt and snarky quips, she showed Clara nothing but comfort and protection. Indeed, the Gallifreyan actually risked her life for her, both on Skaro and here. She took a direct energy blast to the chest for "her poppet". And to Clara's amazement, Missy did it without a hint of hesitation.

As incredible as it appeared, every act Missy did in relation to Clara showed she actually  _cared_  for her. That was true of the Doctor also, though - or so Clara always thought. But the truth was,  _Missy_ was here for her now, while the Doctor just...

Slowly, Missy raised an arm and held an open hand out. "Clara... come with me, dear."

Clara blinked. "W... what?"

Biting her lip, Missy looked actually bashful. "You were abandoned - I know how that feels. You feel unsafe, unsure of what to do - something else I once,  _briefly_ , experienced. Let me take care of you, my angel. I'll protect you."

Clara could not believe what she was hearing. "Why... why would I... why would you do that?"

Missy answered like it was the simplest thing in the universe. "Because I love you, Clara. I know you don't believe it... " - a slight, ironic chuckle - "I scarcely believe it myself. But I do." There was absolutely no wavering in her words whatsoever. "And I'd like the opportunity to prove it you."

Clara's mind was now officially a shambles.

"But more than anything else, I want to make you happy. I can do that, Clara. If you'll let me."

What was happening? Whatever it was, it was all so fast. Clara was alone, the Doctor gone - and clearly  _not_  coming back. But more importantly, Amy was forever lost to her. Clara knew that completely. Nothing she could do, say, promise or beg would ever work on the Scot, even if Missy took Clara straight back to her. Once more, the obviously-answered question ran through Clara's head: if she could never forgive  _herself_ , how could she expect  _Amy_  to?

Clara had nothing else. She admitted to herself mere moments ago her life was worthless now. She had nothing to live for. Except... Clara's hand absently moved to her stomach. She remembered - like she could ever  _forget_  - she was carrying now. There was life growing inside her. Life that could not be aborted. And would Clara actually kill  _herself_  to avoid giving birth?

Noiselessly, Clara raised from her knees to her feet. She bore her eyes into the sight before her, of the Victorian-glad woman, hand outstretched, offering her sanctuary. Clara knew exactly what kind of woman Missy was, but also knew the Time Lady's affections were genuine. All her actions pointed to that fact. And if she was still willing to take on Clara, after everything  _Clara_  did to  _her_ , all the insults and threats, and carrying a baby Missy  _herself_  did not even want - if after all that, Missy still wanted to be with her? Actually...  _loved_  her... ?

Agonisingly slowly, Clara took tentative steps towards the Time Lady. As the first spots of rain descended from above, Clara watched as Missy's smile widened slightly, though there was no malevolence, only caring and concern.

Amy Pond was gone from Clara Oswald's life forever.  _This_  was all she had left.

Reaching the older woman, Clara raised her own arm and let placed her hand in Missy's. The smile on the Time Lady's face lit up magnificently, and Clara actually felt butterflies.

Without another word, Missy wrapped an arm around Clara's waist while opening her time machine, and the two entered. The entrance to the TARDIS then closed, and soon, the Doric pillar dematerialised away...


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by the BBC. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.
> 
> 2\. I know this story has been rather wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey, but hopefully, all will be clear with this final instalment. If not, well - maybe a sequel will be in order...

Delgado entered the room with a heavy sigh. He removed the hooded coat he was wearing and dumped it on the sofa resting against the wall. Finally, the young man could relax. He had been all over the place recently, but now he could just chill out, content in the knowledge he did all he had to. After all, the fact he was home was proof enough he succeeded.

He sat down in the sofa with a thump and surveyed his surroundings. The room was designed like a classic Victorian-era lounge, with the exception of the hexagonal control console in the middle. Delgado always found it weird why the control room was fashioned so: it was not like the TARDIS was wanting in living space. But his parents insisted, so he stopped saying anything.

" _There_  you are."

Delgado's head jerked up at the voice. There, standing by the opposite doorway - the one leading to other areas of the time machine - was his mother. He blinked at the sight; he still was not used to the new form his Gallifreyan parent sported now, her having recently regenerated. But she insisted she was the same woman, and after some rather hairy moments, Delgado came to accept her.

The Time Lady otherwise known as Missy bore a hole through him. "And where exactly have you been, young man?"

He cleared his throat nervously. His mother always instilled in him the fact he deserved anything and everything, but with the caveat he was always answerable to her. "Out," he eventually mumbled.

The Time Lady rolled her eyes. "Out. Is that all I get? Bloody Nora, I don't know why I had children sometimes." Shaking her now-goldenhaired head, Missy put her hands on her hips. "We'll discuss this later, but right now I have a job for you."

Delgado groaned. "Mother, can it wait? I'm very tired."

"Clara has lost her favourite jewellery," Missy continued, ignoring her son's complaint. "You know the one - the purple gem." Of course Delgado knew - his mother always explained it was what helped her win his mum's heart. "Your siblings have spent the past hour helping to find it. Help  _them_."

Another groan, now accompanied by a hand on the forehead. "Mother, please... I've been very busy. Can I do it later?"

A look of fury filled Missy's face. The Time Lady never laid a finger on him, but Delgado had an inkling that was more due to his Human mum's influence than Missy's own benevolence. "Unless you're regenerating, you have no excuse.  _Do as I say_."

Betraying his annoyance at his mother he still loved regardless, Delgado let out a disgruntled, well,  _grunt_  and got to his feet, grabbing his hooded coat as he did so. He supposed it could be worse: his mum could have...

"No, Clara did  _not_  'blow up the kitchen again'," snapped his mother. Once more the Time Lady showed no reticence in using her telepathy. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't think so ill of her."

"Yes, mother."

"Once you've done that, you can help me find my vortex manipulator," Missy added. "Honestly, everything's going missing these days... "

Delgado stifled a grin. His mother was unbelievably egotistical, but it was no surprise she put more import on Clara's missing gem than her own personal transporter. Missy thought the universe of Clara, as she now proved yet again by taking a moment to admire her wedding ring.

As he left the control room, coat in hand, Delgado's earlier annoyance faded, though the tiredness remained. After all, he  _had_  done alot recently...

Like "borrowing" his mother's vortex manipulator without her knowledge.

Kidnapping a 21st century Human nurse and imprisoning him in an underground dungeon on some backwater planet.

Leaving a note detailing said kidnapping on the TARDIS control console belonging to his mother's "best friend".

Infiltrating that same TARDIS at a critical moment and making it dematerialise, just before his mum could admit to being pregnant  _with him_ to the so-called "Doctor".

While in the police box, finding and tampering with a neural blocker so it erased the Doctor's memories of Clara instead of Clara's of Missy - and setting it to self-destruct, just for good measure.

And in the hardest part of all, appearing to threaten his future parents' lives, eventhough his weapon was depowered, then teleporting away an attosecond before his mother's vaporising weapon hit him.

All Delgado had to do now was return the vortex manipulator without his mother finding out. Oh, and help search for his mum's purple gem.

Not that it  _would_  be found, of course. After all, that was Delgado's final task: taking the jewellery and giving it to his mother's past self, so  _she_  could give it to his mum.

Yes, he had been  _very_  busy... but it was all worth it.

Delgado Masters-Oswald would do anything for his family.


End file.
